


How To Lose a Rat in Ten Days Part One

by Ursula



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Angst, Fiction, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-01-07
Updated: 2005-01-07
Packaged: 2018-11-20 14:06:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 26,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11337036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ursula/pseuds/Ursula
Summary: Mulder and Skinner are working with Alex Krycek when they make a bet that one of them can seduce him. Part one of two





	How To Lose a Rat in Ten Days Part One

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Basement](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Basement), which moved to the AO3 to ensure the stories are always available and so that authors may have complete control of their own works. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Basement's collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thebasement/profile).

How To Lose a Rat in Ten Days Part One

### How To Lose a Rat in Ten Days Part One

#### by Multiple

  


Title: How To Lose A Rat In Ten Days 

Author/Pseudonym: Lynda(Aqualegia) Linda (Amazon X), Mrs. Fish, Ratboy, Liz O'Brian, Bertina, and Ursula 

Fandom: X Files 

Pairing: Mulder/Skinner/Krycek 

Rating: NC-17 

Status: Finished and beta read thanks to Bertina 

Date Posted: 11-29-04 

Archive: FHSA, DIB, Wherever individual writers choose 

E-mail address for feedback: 

Classification: Romance 

Series/Sequel: Is this story part of a series: No 

Web Site: 

Disclaimers: No profit, fan fiction for fun 

Notes: Written for 

Warnings: Sex, violence, and threesome 

Time Frame: After it's all over 

How To Lose A Rat in Ten Days  
Alex HC&D Round Robin 

Mulder's toes crept up Walter's leg as they sat in the hot tub in the suburban house that they shared. "I don't feel like getting out for the Rat Bastard. Let him find us out here." 

"Yeah?" Walter said, his voice slightly slurred. He had knocked back two Screaming Orgasm Against the Walls. 

Eyes crossing with concentration, Walter slumped back against the hot tub wall. "Say, Mulder...." 

"What?" Mulder asked, toes finding home and working to make Walter squirm. 

"He ever come onto you?" Walter asked. 

"No," Mulder said. He slid almost under the chlorine-scented water. "You jealous, Walter?" 

"No. I was just thinking." Walter rumbled. "Every once in a while, he gives off signals, but then I'm not sure. Grabbed his ass once in an elevator, but he didn't say anything. Nice ass. Squeezable." 

"You're a bad, bad, bad man, Walter Skinner," Mulder said, with a lopsided grin decorating his face. 

"Everyone at the bureau thought he was putting out for you," Walter reflected. "Kim told me that there were more people betting on that than you and Scully doing the wild thing." 

"One time at the pool, I thought he was going to walk right off the edge, he was so busy not looking at me," Mulder said. "You know what I thought? I was sure he was a virgin, a total blushing virgin." 

Now Walter looked very interested. He said, "That would be the last thing I thought about our dirty little rat with the big green eyes." 

"I'd lay you a bet that he is," Mulder said. Grabbing his drink, he took a big frothing mouthful. "I bet he is and I bet I can get his cherry." 

"No way in hell," Walter answered. "He's not a virgin, but if he was, you'd be the last one to coax his reluctant legs to open. What are you going to do? Hit him on the head and drag him off to your cave? No, if our Russian friend hasn't yielded his hymen yet, it's going to take more than an arm around his neck or a cuff on the head to get him in bed. It will take diplomatic skills and a strong organized attack plan. That's me." 

"Oh, hell," Mulder said, "You said it yourself. The guy is lusting over me. I can get him." 

"We'll just see," Walter said. "and what are we betting?" 

"How about the one who loses will do anything the other wants in bed for a month?" Mulder said, with a wicked smirk. 

"Done deal," Walter agreed, tugging Mulder's body under water before he could tease further. 

As Mulder came up spluttering, Alex's hand reached over the gate. The Russian looked sullen and said, "Did you two forget we were supposed to meet? I've been pounding on the front door for five minutes." 

"Why don't you join us?" Mulder said, standing up in his naked glory and holding out his hand in a welcoming way. 

Alex turned borsht red. He stuttered, "It would be bad for my arm." His eyes hit the ground and he stopped dead in his tracks. 

"Come over here, Krycek," Walter said, "Want a drink?" He gestured toward the pitcher on the table. 

"Yeah, I..." Alex hurriedly went the long way around the hot tub to avoid disappointed and naked Mulder. 

Walter hid a smile. "Krycek, have a seat. You look pale. Here have a drink." 

Getting only as far out of the tub to show his glistening, well-muscled body, Walter poured a good sized drink for Alex and handed it to the flustered double agent. "I was just thinking that as long as we are all working together with the rebels that we should spend some time straightening out some of the garbage from the past. Don't you think that's a good idea, Alex?" 

"I thought I was an informant? You said you wouldn't trust me farther than you could throw me," Krycek remarked, taking the drink. He took a drink, licked his lips in an intriguing way and said, "This is good." 

"I think so too," Walter said. "I've been taking bar tending lessons to relax." 

"Yeah?" Alex said. "What's this called?" 

"A screaming orgasm against the wall," Walter replied. 

Alex choked and sat down in the white plastic lawn chair. "Interesting name...how would that work anyway?" Nervously, Alex added, "Never mind that. I think we should get down to business. I have the information you wanted. It's right here." He took a computer disc out of his pocket and started to hand it over to Walter. Apparently realizing that computer discs and hot tubs didn't mix, Alex looked charmingly bewildered. 

Having mercy, Walter said, "Hand me my towel. It's the big red striped one." 

Looking away, Alex held out the towel, his hand inadvertently landing right on Walter's groin. The green eyed gaze slowly traveled to check what his other senses told him. He squawked like a constipated duck and fled. 

A moment later, Walter bounced the computer disc and said, "On the bright side, he left this. Much as I hate to say this about one of your unlikely theories, I think you might be right. Krycek is virgin territory." 

Smugly, Mulder said, "Yeah, and I was right about the aliens too. This could be very amusing." 

OooOooO 

Alex had sounded surprised when Mulder called to set up to meet the day after the disk exchange. Mulder didn't fail to notice the uneasy look on Alex's face as his quarry took a seat across from him in a dive of a Thai place in one of the less posh neighborhoods of DC. Mulder looked keenly into Alex's wary eyes, then let his glance flit down to the other man's full mouth and back up, letting a bit of tension build before welcoming Alex in his huskiest voice. 

Alex felt a tingle in his stomach at the sultry tone and swallowed. "So where's the big, bald one today? Aren't you two usually joined at the hip?" 

"Among other parts." Mulder basked in the blush sweeping across Alex's face and at the way his breath sped up. He smirked behind his mug of beer before answering the other man's question. "I wanted to talk to you alone. That okay?" 

The wariness in the bright eyes grew and Alex's gaze skittered around the restaurant. Mulder could almost hear the agent's slippery brain calculating possibilities and looking for motives and agendas. 

Oh, yes, very amusing indeed, Mulder thought. 

"I've been thinking about what Walter said last night, about straightening out the `garbage' between us." He sipped his beer again, then let his voice drop even lower so that Alex had to lean across the table slightly to hear him clearly. "Walter and I know each other so...intimately, it's why we work so well together. And I don't know you at all, do I? So I was thinking we should get to know each other better. If we want to work well together." 

"You want to get to know me?" Alex stammered, the soft, rasping voice swimming in his ears and keeping his eyes glued to Mulder's. 

"I want to know all about you, Alex. Every detail. What's your favorite color, your favorite ice cream flavour, when you lost your virginity..." 

BINGO! Mulder's brain crowed at the panicky start Alex gave. We have confirmation! 

"Alex, you look so uncomfortable. What's wrong?" 

"N-nothing," he said, getting to his feet. "Umm, I need to get going; so if you have any questions about the disk..." 

"I have lots of questions, but not about the disk. Sit down and talk to me, Alex." The soft voice still held some power because Alex resumed his seat, his eyes blinking rapidly and his breath even faster and shallower. 

Mulder was in profiler heaven. Part of Alex was obviously horribly ill at ease, but Mulder could tell there was a bigger part that was fascinated by the danger of becoming even verbally intimate with another person. 

Can't have been too many people in his life that were around long enough for anything like that, he thought and began ticking over everything he knew about the twitchy rat in front of him, looking for buttons to push and weak spots to pressure. 

Alex was very quiet while they placed their orders. He answered Mulder's mundane questions--"Did you have pets growing up?" "A gerbil." "What's your favorite kind of music?" "Old Rolling Stones."-- as briefly as possible until their food arrived. He ate without looking up from his plate, missing Mulder's impressed look at the way he handled the chopsticks. When they had finished dinner and the waitress brought tea and almond cookies, Mulder decided it was time to toss the gloves. 

"So, Alex, what do you look for in a ...romantic partner?" 

Alex spit the tea he'd just taken back into his cup. "'Scuse me?" he squeaked. 

"You know, what do you find desirable in a woman..." Mulder's voice dropped into that seductive range again and his foot came up to rest beside Alex's thigh, "...or a man." 

He stretched his arms along the back of his booth and fixed Alex with his best heated stare, the one that made Walter lose his place in a conversation. He waited, letting Alex's confusion and self-consciousness grow, until finally the younger man threw his napkin down on the table. 

"What is your problem, Mulder?" 

"Alex, relax. I told you, I'm just trying to get to know you a little better. Was that too personal a question? Am I making you uncomfortable again?" 

"I just don't see the point in all this. You've told me a hundred times you don't believe anything I say." 

"You're avoiding answering the question, Alex." 

"Which question? You've asked about twenty in the last ten seconds. Am I uncomfortable? Yes, I don't like people poking around in my head." 

"The other question, Alex. What do you like? What turns you on and makes your dick hard?" The foot that had been resting so innocently against Alex's leg suddenly sprang to life and slid between his thighs, nudging them apart and -when the hell did Mulder take his fucking shoe off?--stroking his crotch gently. 

Alex's eyes widened in a way Mulder wouldn't have thought possible. He didn't break his stare, enjoying the way Alex's face was pinking up and sweat was making his worried-looking brow shine. 

"M-m-mulder, what the hell do you want?" he asked hoarsely. 

Mulder let the devilment shine in his darkened eyes. "I would have thought that was obvious, Alex," he said, curling his toes around a rapidly-inflating erection. "I want you." 

Part 3 Bertie 

"Well, how'd it go?" asked Skinner when Mulder came home later. 

"Peachy, Walter. He ran to the bathroom, knocking over his chair to get away from me." 

"What did you do?" 

Mulder grinned. 

"You didn't!" 

"I did." 

"You're going to have to get another seduction method." 

"It worked for you!" 

"Yeah, but I wanted you and hadn't been a virgin since I was 16." 

Mulder sighed. "Well, I guess it's your turn, Romeo." 

"I'll let him lick his wounds for the night, then I will go comfort him." 

"Comfort him? As if my seduction was painful!" 

"He ran out on you, didn't he?" 

Mulder drooped. "Yeah." 

"Never knew Alex to be the coquette." 

Mulder snickered. "Then he should be easy on you. Rose McClaren let you feel her up after the fifth date." 

Walter grinned. "Well, yeah, but I don't know if I want to wait for 5 dates to make the moves on this one." 

* * *

The next day, Mulder stretched languidly on the bed after a hard fuck the night before. Alex didn't know what he was missing. 

Walter entered the room, wiping his face of shaving cream. 

Mulder whistled. "Looking good, Walter. I'd give up my cherry for you." 

Walter snorted. "You'd give up your cherry to the mailman if he was hot enough." 

"Hey! Can I help it that I happened to find my Ethics professor hot?" 

"You were only 14, Mulder. The guy should have been kicked out of teaching all together." 

Mulder shrugged. "He taught me a few things...." 

"Yeah, how to give it up without being sent to the principal." 

Mulder pouted. Walter bent and kissed the pout away. 

"So what's on the agenda?" Mulder asked, curious. 

Walter pulled away, buttoning his cuffs. 

"Well?" 

"I thought I'd stop at Maria's before I went over to Alex's." 

"Flowers, Walter? I was right in calling you Romeo." 

"Hey, I read in an Esquire that if you want to get oral sex you give them -" 

Mulder laughed. "Yeah, Walter, I'm sure he never reads Esquire." 

Walter sighed. "Ok, I'll ask the florist what to give to someone who is a virgin." 

"You wouldn't." 

"I will. See ya, Casanova." 

* * *

Walter knocked on Krycek's apartment. The florist assured him these flowers meant purity and innocence. He hoped Alex wouldn't be upset by them. 

Alex opened the door finally after a good wait. "Skinner?" 

"Hi, Alex, I brought these for you." He shoved the bouquet of white roses, rosebuds and daisies in Alex's face. 

Alex took the flowers and backed up to let Walter in. When he shut the door, Alex was shaking his head. Walter followed him into the kitchen where the other man put the flowers in a vase. 

Walter waited patiently for Alex to say something. 

"I didn't realize I was so obvious," Alex said quietly. Then horror upon horrors, he began to cry. 

Walter was in shock for a moment then moved closer to comfort him. He wrapped his big arms around the crying man and tried his best to soothe him. 

"Hey, Alex, I didn't mean anything by the flowers...I thought you'd appreciate them after what Fox did. We really just want to get to know you better." Walter was thinking to himself, oh yeah, I will definitely have him now! 

But instead, Alex began to cry more, his whole body shaking in Walter's arms. Oh fuck! thought Walter. What now? 

"My mother was a florist, Walter. I know what those flowers mean!" 

"Oh! Um, nothing wrong with saving yourself, Alex." 

"Walter, white rosebuds means I'm a girl!" 

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't specify the sex of the person I was giving the flowers to." 

"My father always wanted a girl, said boys were too rowdy and mean." Alex continued to cry, unrelentingly. 

Walter felt like a total shit. 

"I'm sorry, Alex. I had no idea...." 

Walter knew for certain he was not getting anywhere with Alex today. 

Part 4 Amazon 

Walter entered the house, not bothering to lock the door behind him, just closing it with his foot. Tossing his jacket on the chair, he went straight to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a tall cut-crystal tumbler of single-malt scotch. Walking to his easy chair with the bottle and glass, he sat, putting the bottle on the floor. He reached for the remote and watched opening day in Arlington, for the Texas Rangers. Screw Mulder and his Yankees. 

* * *

Later that evening, Mulder walked in the door and quickly pulled his SIG Sauer from it's holster. Unlocked door, lights out, dark outside, something wrong. He checked the front rooms and began making his way back when he heard a sleepy voice call out, "Put your gun away, Mulder, I'm home and safe." 

Mulder sighed with relief. He walked in and turned on the light, showing him a very sorry sight. Walter Skinner, with a mostly empty bottle of scotch, shirt untucked and tie half pulled out. His shoes had been kicked across the room and he was slouched in the chair. "Are you good and drunk?" 

"No, but I've been trying. Want one?" Skinner lifted his glass shakily. 

"No, thanks. I'll get a beer, though. We can swap stories. I've been in Takoma Park all day. We've got _lots_ to talk about." 

Mulder grabbed a beer from the fridge and snapped the cap across the room into the garbage. He grabbed the file folder he'd put on the front hall table when he entered and went to the couch to sort the papers on the coffee table. Walter turned the chair toward Mulder and waited. Mulder looked up and said, "Oh, no, you first. You look like you've been into that bottle since...oh...eighth inning?" 

Walter snickered. "No, I sang the national anthem with a buzz. Texas won, by the way." 

"I know, I listened. Rocket needs time to warm up to the season, you know. Now, why are we soused, dear love?" Mulder smiled with half his face. 

"Oh, I made the bastard cry." Skinner took another sip of scotch. 

"Cry? What the fuck did you do?" Mulder sat up straight. Oh, this is gonna be good. 

"I brought him flowers." 

Mulder sighed. "That _can't_ be it." 

"Oh, that is it. I got white daisies, roses and rose buds." 

"OK, I'm gay, I'm not a girl. What does that mean?" Mulder took a swig from his beer. 

"Rosebuds apparently signify something female...I forget how he put it. He was crying so hard. Something like his dad kept saying he wished Alex was born a girl 'cause boys are too much trouble, some fuckin' thing like that. His mom was a florist." 

Mulder looked down at his files and said, "Well, yeah, after a few years, she was. But his father is dead. The man you must mean is his step-father." 

"Step-father? Huh?" 

Mulder spread the pages out in front of himself and began reading snippets of information off. "Alexander Viktor Krycek, born June 22, 1964 in St. Petersburg, moved to the US with his parents in 1965. His father did not survive the trip. He died shortly after they arrived in New York City in the winter. They settled in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, with family friends until his mother, Regina, married a man to get a green card and to have support. Her English wasn't so good, and she couldn't get a job right away. Krycek was telling the truth when he said his parents were Cold War immigrants. Let's see..." 

Mulder looked over at Skinner who had put his glass down and was sitting up straight in his chair. He'd have to see about dumping that chair soon. He didn't like not being able to sit next to Walter in it. 

"Ah, yes, well, Mr. Step-father, Anthony Waterston, was not a nice man. Got priors for assault and battery, petty theft, burglary and child endangerment. Pay close attention to the last one." 

"Why?" 

"He...um...he..." 

"He touched Alex, didn't he? He fucking molested Alex when he was a kid." 

"Well, sorta, he didn't touch Alex, he made Alex touch him. Since...Alex wasn't a girl, Mister wasn't interested in the parts. He's been in therapy for years for this under an assumed name, Viktor Licenko. Licenko is his mother's maiden name. The therapist has him past most of his rough patches, but he is, in truth, a virgin." 

"Where did you get all of this information?" Walter cocked his head to the site. 

Mulder's expression went to the "well, DUH, Walter" state. "What part of 'I've been in Takoma Park all day' didn't you understand?" 

Walter smiled. "Ah, Huey, Dewy, Louie and Bruiser. Was their lady lion tamer there?" 

"No, thankfully. I'm afraid of her. Anyway, the therapist kept his records on disk, so Langly hacked all this for me. Printed a copy and I have another on a CD. I'll let you read everything tomorrow. Tonight, you need to shower, sober up and sleep." 

"Tell me more about our favorite rat, though, please. What is his diagnosis?" Walter motioned to the files. 

"Oh, well, like any other Child of the Secret, he's come a very long way. But has not gone all the way. It bugged me. Why hadn't a 38 year old man lost his virginity? I mean, he's been through so much, you shot him, his arm. It's nice to see that the Rebels have restored him. But I wish they could have erased his memory. We could rewrite it for him. Well, anyway, his therapist writes that the only thing standing in his way is himself. They've had extensive sessions about him being with people. He proclaims that no matter what Waterston did to him, he prefers men, anyway. He just needs to trust one. And lust for one. We've been going about it all wrong." 

"Huh?" Walter fell back and raised his feet in the chair. 

"He won't respond if we try to seduce him. We've obviously been going about it wrong. We need to engage him in activities that will make him comfortable around us, then invite him into our circle. And we need to let him see that we're not a threat, to each other or him. If he sees that we're in love, we stand a better chance of getting his cherry." 

Walter laughed. "We could double-team him." 

"Fuck no!" Mulder shouted. "I'm winning this bet. I want you as my sexual slave for a month." Mulder stood and walked to Walter's chair to sit in his lap. "Take me to bed, Big Man, OK?" 

Walter smiled, lifting Mulder into his arms like a child and carrying him to bed. 

* * *

Part 5 Mrs. Fish 

They decided to give Alex a couple days breathing time before implementing their new plan of attack. Mulder was convinced that getting Alex to trust them was the key, so he set out to do just that. 

Phase One 

Krycek glanced over at his phone's caller ID and seriously considered not answering the damn thing. What the hell could Mulder want now? He and Skinner had both been acting weird since he delivered that last disk. 

With a sigh he grabbed the receiver and answered, "Yea, what is it, Mulder?" 

"Um... hi, Alex. Did I catch you at a bad time?" 

"Kind of." 

"Okay, then I'll make this quick. Do you have any plans for Sunday?" 

"Let me check." Alex grabbed his day planner and started flipping pages. He knew he didn't have anything planned for Sunday, but Mulder didn't. "Nope; looks like I'm free all day. Why?" 

"Walter and I would like to invite you for dinner. We have some questions about the contents of the diskette and figured it might take awhile, so..." 

Krycek pulled the receiver away from his ear and actually glared at it. More weirdness. Well, at least he'd get a free meal out of it. He replaced the receiver and replied, "Okay. What time should I be there?" 

"Four o'clock. And come hungry. Walter's grilling steaks." 

Krycek hung up the phone and shook his head. Something was going on. He just didn't know what... yet. 

* * *

Thankfully Alex heard from neither Mulder nor Skinner for the rest of the week. That allowed him the time to do some convert surveillance. It would be just his luck to find out that both of them had been replaced by alien replicants or super soldiers in an effort to stop the rebels' plans. But the only thing he discovered was that the two men had a difficult time keeping their hands off each other. He'd returned home every night feeling like a voyeur. 

* * *

"Alex, come on in." Mulder stepped aside allowing Krycek into the hallway. He then led him out onto the patio where Walter had set up the grill. 

"You want a beer or something stronger?" 

"Beer's fine, Mulder." Alex answered, then settled into one of the patio chairs. He nodded by way to greeting to Skinner, who returned the gesture and went back to grilling. 

Mulder returned quickly with the beer and positioned his chair so he was facing Alex. "Hope you're hungry. Walter's got corn on the cob and baked potatoes to go with the steaks, plus salad and chocolate cake for dessert." 

"You always eat like this? I thought your idea of dinner was Chinese takeout or pizza." 

Mulder laughed and took another swig of his beer. "Walter's made me see the error of my ways. And, no, we don't always have a big meal like this. But we try to do something special at least once a week, and it generally ends up being a Sunday when we do it." 

"Oh...." 

A comfortable silence settled between the two men, interrupted only by Walter's attentions to their dinner. 

Finally Alex asked, "So what did you want to know?" 

"Huh?" 

"You said you had some questions about what was on the disk I gave you." 

"Oh, that. It can wait until after dinner." 

Alex nodded, leaned back in his chair and finished off his beer. Mulder offered another, but it was refused. It wasn't a good idea to get drunk when invited to dinner. 

A short time later Walter announced, "Steaks are done" and the three men went into the house to enjoy their meal. 

* * *

Comfortably stuffed, Alex relaxed into the back of the sofa. Mulder was sitting on his left and Walter was sitting in a leather recliner on Mulder's left. Alex surmised now would be the time to answer questions. 

And he wasn't wrong. 

PART SIX Ratboy 

"So Alex, what are you doing with yourself these days, when you're not out tracking down information for us?" Mulder asked casually, reaching out and touching Alex's shoulder briefly. 

Alex stiffened at the touch and swung his head to stare at Mulder. Suddenly the quiet, comfortable dinner took on a less-innocent tone. Alex felt his brows pull together and knew he was glaring, but irritation was soaring. 

"What?" 

"You know, what are you doing to keep yourself afloat these days since you're not drawing down a Consortium salary anymore? What do you do for fun, relaxation?" 

Alex let the pause sit, then finally spoke with a perfectly straight face. "I practice my curling throws. It's a game that requires intense concentration and hours of practice. I plan to be at the next big bonspiel, broom in hand, and I need to be ready. What the hell is this?" 

Mulder's gentle hand at his shoulder had stilled in midair, the nonplussed look on Mulder's face a classic. "Uh... huh?" 

"What. Is. This." Alex swept his eyes sideways to encompass Walter in the hard glare, then swung right back to Mulder. He'd had a hard time meeting Walter's eyes ever since the day he'd broken down in front of the man. 

He'd just gotten home from a particularly rough session with Dr. Rubenstein, and lo and behold Walter Skinner shows up at his door bearing... _flowers_. Exactly the _wrong_ kind of flowers. Just the memory sent a dull flare of embarrassment through Alex and as he continued to look back and forth between the men, he kept ending up focusing on Walter's right ear. He really hoped Walter hadn't told Mulder about the way he'd bawled like a child. Luckily Walter hadn't shown any indication to bring up the horrible mishap so Alex played along and ignored it too, with the unfortunate result of never quite figuring out what the hell Walter had been doing at his house - with flowers - anyway. He drew a deep breath and pushed the whole humiliating experience out of his head, trying to forget the comforting feel of big, warm arms around him at the same time, with less success. 

Between Walter showing up with flowers and Mulder's little lunch-attack, he didn't know which way was up with these two lately. Talk about confusing... he'd assumed Mulder was perfectly happy with Skinner, and couldn't for the life of him figure out why Mulder had tried coming onto _him_ that day at lunch. Maybe they'd had a fight... or maybe Mulder wasn't the monogamous sort. Alex wondered vaguely if Walter knew Mulder fooled around on the side. With an effort he got himself back on track. "What is this... all of this? `What have I been doing with myself?' Is this an effort to make sure I'm not still doing things you guys wouldn't approve of, or another misguided attempt to 'get to know me'??" 

Mulder sat back in the couch, as if the reminder of the ill-fated lunch threw him. Alex surmised Walter must not know. Well, Mulder could relax. He wouldn't be giving away Mulder's dirty little secret. He was good at not divulging secrets. "But Alex," Mulder said in a hurt voice, "we _do_ want to get to know you." 

"Yes, Alex," Walter chimed in from his chair. "We've realized we only see you every once in a while when you're delivering information or helping us plam an alien. We don't know anything about the rest of your life. You've... ah... been such a big help to us. We... um... we want to... you know... make you feel more comfortable. So you don't just feel you can only come over when you have something to offer," Walter finished lamely. 

Alex shook his head and sighed. "Look, I have _no_ idea what's gotten into you two lately, and I appreciate the dinner but... you guys don't _like_ me. I know that, you know that. You don't have to pretend to, or act like you want to be best buddies. I'll keep helping you. I'm not going to up and switch back to the other side because we're not all best friends. I want to stop the aliens too. Now do you have questions about the _disk_ or not? That is why I came over." 

The silence stretched and Mulder and Walter exchanged uncertain looks. Alex finally rolled his eyes and started to stand up. 

"No!" Mulder reached up and grabbed his arm, pulling him back down onto the couch. "We do. Uh... that part about pharmaceutical companies playing fronts for alien labs. Do you have any sense of which companies we're talking about? The disk information was pretty generalized..." 

* * *

Over the next half-hour Mulder peppered Alex with a variety of questions, everything he could think of off the top of his head related to anything he had seen on the disk. Walter helped by taking whatever theme Mulder could think of and embroidering more questions off of it. Alex looked completely perplexed a number of times, but apparently wrote off the disjointed questioning to Spooky Mulder's weird thought processes, and answered as best he could. 

Mulder could sense the tension coming down to a manageable level, and felt encouraged when he was able to move closer and still closer to Alex on the couch without engendering the tensed-up, deer-in-the-headlights reaction. As he started to punctuate his questions with light touches on the shoulder or thigh, he was pleased to see Alex stay relaxed and not pull back. Eventually, close enough to be staring directly into Alex's eyes, Mulder let his hand fall on Alex's knee and murmured, "Now then, why don't you think we like you, Alex?" 

The sudden shift in subject did what the physical closeness hadn't - Alex froze, stiffened, and his face went blank. Mulder tightened his hand on Alex's knee to keep him from bolting. As if the rhythm of question-and-answer had gotten to Alex, his mouth opened and an answer tumbled out, though from the look on his face he hadn't expected it to. 

"I just... you've never liked me. Not since I was first assigned to you. And then... with everything that happened. Neither of you ever liked me. You used to beat on me constantly, he shot me... And why would you like me? I mean, I did rotten things. I don't expect it, just because we're working together." His mouth clamped closed again just as suddenly. 

Mulder just nodded and squeezed Alex's knee. "I can see why you'd think that, but I just want to say, for both of us, that we've seen you go through a lot and don't you think it's possible we might be able to change our minds?" Without waiting for an answer, Mulder swung back to the disk. "Why wasn't there as much information on this disk about the super-soldiers? Are they less of a threat? Is there more information elsewhere on them?" 

Alex haltingly got back on the subject of the disk and Mulder let his hand stay on Alex's knee. As they continued to talk, Mulder watched Alex's eyes begin to jump back and forth between the hand on his knee, Mulder, and Walter over in his chair. He could feel the tension start to rise in Alex again and when Alex's gaze next skated to Walter, Mulder took the opportunity to check out a theory. Looking down quickly to the crotch of Alex's jeans, Mulder bit back a smile at the noticeable bulge there. When Alex looked back, Mulder gave him an innocent smile and took a sharp left turn again. "What _do_ you do with yourself these days, Alex?" he murmured. "Assuming you really aren't practicing chucking a curling stone fifteen hours a day." 

The deer in the headlights made a sudden reappearance, with the green eyes going wide and panicked, mouth opening and closing. Finally Alex croaked, "I read... a lot." His cheeks went delightfully red. 

Mulder nodded sagely and squeezed Alex's knee, mentally deciding exactly what he was going to have Walter do for him during that month he would be Mulder's complete and utter sex slave. He bit back an evil chuckle and schooled his voice. "Reading is good. Walter and I read a lot too." He reached into his head and made up yet another vaguely realistic question about the disk. 

* * *

Walter debated internally. Should he take more of an active role here? Mulder was doing well at getting Alex to calm down and stay to talk, which was the purported plan. Get him comfortable, get him to trust them, get him to lust after them. The only problem was Mulder was also making more progress on the bet than he was. Walter's fingers tapped out a rapid patter on his thigh. Mulder had snagged the spot on the couch, and Walter had deemed it might be a little too much for him to settle in on Alex's other side. Now, as he watched Mulder's long fingers working on Alex's knee, he wondered if he should have just sat there anyway. For someone who was supposed to be helping Alex relax in their presence and see that they loved each other and were trustworthy, Mulder was being damn touchy. 

Walter sighed and tossed in another pseudo-question that he and Mulder already had figured out the answer to. "But why that particular sequence? Wouldn't a numerical code make more sense given the context?" As Alex's eyes shifted over to him to answer, Walter noted the way he seemed to look just to the right, never really meeting Walter's eyes. This was really unfair. Mulder was making Alex more comfortable with _Mulder_ , but Walter really wasn't getting a chance to make any headway. The man still wouldn't even look directly at him, for pete's sake! 

Every time Alex got that slightly uncertain look on his face, Walter was forcefully reminded of a warm, pliant body collapsing into the circle of his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. He got the sense Alex was absolutely horrified at having broken down that way. Maybe it was the fact that Alex had eventually ripped himself from Walter's arms and raced from the room, slamming his bedroom door behind him and not coming out, leaving Walter to finally exit his apartment without even a chance to say goodbye. Yes, that was a fairly good indication that Alex was a little upset about having cried in front of him. Walter wished he could find a way to let Alex know he didn't think any less of him for it. 

He realized he'd completely zoned on Alex's answer to his erstwhile 'question', and he nodded in what he hoped was a convincing fashion into the sudden silence. "I'm really glad you could come to dinner, Alex," he suddenly blurted out. 

Alex blinked in surprise and met his eyes for the first time all night. Immediately, a wave of red rushed up that tempting throat and into the pale cheeks. Walter thought their tough informant had never looked quite so fetching, and had to work mightily to restrain his own smile, knowing Alex would think he was being laughed at. Walter's fingers itched to reach out and stroke a hot cheek. Alex stammered, "I... I... uh... thanks." Walter nodded in response and wondered how he could get himself over onto that couch. Maybe he could get Mulder up and they could switch places... 

* * *

Alex wanted to die. He wanted to curl up and die, or at the very least crawl under the couch cushions and just disappear. Here he was, sitting with Mulder and Walter in their living room, with an aching hard-on and no way out. Mulder kept... _touching_ him and now they were trying to tell him they _liked_ him and then Walter said that about being glad he came... Alex felt thoroughly discombobulated and out of his element. _I read a lot? What the fuck kind of lame ass answer is that??_

And he couldn't very well just stand up to leave until he got his misbehaving cock under control. The trapped feeling increased with every passing minute, but the throbbing in his crotch wouldn't cease, and in fact only continued to get worse. 

What were they playing at? Were they _trying_ to torture him? Okay, apparently they really were trying to let him know they didn't hold grudges anymore. That was actually... kind of nice. _Really_ nice. They were apparently serious about... maybe... actually... liking him. He felt the idea settle in his chest and take root. It gave him a warm sensation. He knew it was dangerous, believing anyone might care for him as he was, not wanting anything in return. Especially either of these men, both of whom he found impossibly attractive and both of whom had played pivotal, albeit unknowing, roles in his decision to turn on the Consortium. It was dangerous in more ways than one, given they were happily ensconced in a relationship _with each other_ , while he knew he was at serious risk of falling in love with either or both of them. 

He didn't want them being nice to him. It was easier to work with them when they were calling him Rat Bastard and being sarcastic and taking his help with an air of suspicion and grudging acceptance. Swapping insults and acting all superior. 

Yet, at the same time, the way they'd been acting lately - inviting him to dinner, apparently actually trying to get through to him that they wanted to be friends of some sort, even that surreal pass by Mulder, and Walter bringing him flowers... as strange and disconcerting as it all was, his chest ached with wanting it to be real. Wanting to be invited in as a friend, wanting them to really like him, to give a damn about him. Watching their relationship during the last week, surveilling them, had been hard. They were so close, obviously so loving, so into each other. It hurt to watch from the vantage point of being alone. 

Dr. Rubenstein's voice whispered in his head. _You don't have to be alone, Viktor. You're choosing to be alone._ Sure. Easy for the doc to say. It wasn't like he _wanted_ to spend the rest of his life a solitary virgin. But somewhere along the line it had just... _happened_. It had been too hard to open up to anyone, too hard to trust. He kept thinking it would eventually happen, would eventually get easier. But intimacy remained too big of a risk, his life choices took him in directions that didn't exactly lend themselves to making friends or meeting trustworthy people. And now...it felt like too much time had slid away, like his chance had passed him by. Fuck, who would _want_ a 38 year old virgin?? Who would want somebody who had done the things he'd done, who had as many intimacy hang-ups as he did? 

And still, he wanted it to be real. Because maybe... it if was real, maybe this could a first step. Maybe... if these two really did want to be friends, as strange as that seemed... maybe this could help. He'd just have to watch himself, make sure he didn't fall hopelessly in love with either of them, make sure he kept his wits about him and remembered _they_ were already in a committed relationship, no matter what Mulder's extracurricular sexual activities might imply. And maybe this could help him get more used to being... emotionally intimate with other men, and then maybe he'd find something like they had with each other. 

The thought still left a sort of hollow feeling in his chest, but he knew it was the best he could hope for. He prided himself on being a realist and he knew he'd missed his chance with either of them, if he'd ever had any chance at all, which he doubted. He knew it every time he watched Mulder touch Walter's shoulder when he walked by him... every time he saw Walter slip a casual arm around Mulder's waist. Every time they glanced at each other and seemed to communicate without speaking. 

So okay, if they meant it, if they really wanted to be friends, if they could really put aside everything he'd done and try to start fresh... he decided he'd try too. He still wasn't entirely certain their efforts to reach out to him were genuine. Trust didn't just happen. But they were certainly being persistent, so he was beginning to think they were serious. 

He'd try to relax and give them the benefit of the doubt. 

Although at the moment, the _first_ thing he was going to do was get _out_ of this room at the earliest possible opportunity, retreat to the safety of his apartment and take a long, cold shower. 

* * *

Walter stood up and lifted his glass. "I'm going to freshen my drink. Can I get you another beer, Alex?" Alex declined, and Walter sighed when he saw Alex was back to avoiding his eyes. "Mulder? Give me a hand?" Mulder looked up in surprise but rose and followed Walter to the kitchen when he jerked his head. 

"What's up," Mulder whispered once in the kitchen. "Since when do you need me to help you make your own drink?" 

"I don't, I just wanted us both to get up," Walter answered as he fixed his drink. 

"Why?" Mulder gestured to the door. "Don't you think it's going well?" 

"Yes, it is going well, but you're getting an unfair advantage. _I_ want to sit on the couch now. Let's just casually switch places when we go back in, okay?" 

Mulder rolled his eyes. "Oh _fine_. I don't need to be sitting next to him to get the advantage." He grinned devilishly. "I'm going to win this bet, Walter, and you're going to be at my beck and call for a full month." 

Walter snorted. He still believed Mulder would screw up by trying to push too far, too fast. Alex was going to need a slow but sure, gentle touch. He on the other hand, would continue the careful steady approach, and would have Alex on his back with his knees spreading in no time. "We'll see who will be at whose beck and call. Come on, let's get back in there." 

They walked back into the living room and stopped short at the sight of the empty couch. They glanced at each other, surprised and perplexed. 

"Bathroom?" suggested Mulder. 

"Alex?" called Walter, looking around. 

They both saw the note at the same time. Scrawled on a napkin, sitting beside Mulder's abandoned beer bottle. 

Thanks for a nice evening.  
Great dinner.  
See you soon.  
\--A. 

Mulder broke into a flood of curses. "Great! He left! We never should have left the room!" 

Walter picked up the napkin, looking it over carefully, noting the 'see you soon'. He pondered on the sudden disappearing act. To race out that way at the first opportunity, perhaps Alex hadn't been as comfortable as he seemed. Maybe Mulder hadn't gotten as far ahead as Walter had thought. He smiled slowly. 

Yes, Alex would be seeing him very soon indeed. 

* * *

How to Lost a Rat in Ten Days Part Seven Ursula 

OooOooO 

Dr. Rubenstein's voice was as calming as ever. Alex couldn't believe he trusted his therapist as much as he did. After having Consortium psychologists constantly testing him, screwing with his head, Alex didn't expect to ever voluntarily get near another one of the bastards. It wasn't until the nightmares became so bad that he couldn't sleep without drugs that he had started to make inquiries. He didn't rush into anything. He'd done a deep background check on the final three possible therapists out of those he had considered. He even checked on their staff to be sure that he wouldn't be vulnerable from a loose-lipped secretary. 

Finally, Alex had chosen Rubenstein because he had a nose like Mulder's and big warm brown eyes like Walter Skinner had when he looked at Mulder or Scully. Pathetic... 

Finished with the story of his latest encounter, Alex draped his hand over his eyes, hiding his expression from the doctor. "That's about it," Alex said. "When they went into the kitchen, I left." 

"Why did you do that, Alex? It sounds as if you having a good evening," Dr. Rubenstein said. 

"Fuck that," Alex snapped. "You call that good? Mulder was torturing me." 

"Interesting choice of words," the doctor said. "He touched you whether deliberately trying to seduce you or not. You responded by becoming aroused and then you ran." 

"I pay you for this? I should have got a parrot," Alex grumbled. 

"A pet might be good for you," the doctor said. 

"Oh, shut up," Alex replied. 

"Have you done what I suggested?" Dr. Rubenstein asked. 

"Jacked off?" Alex said. "Yeah." 

"That's good," the doctor said. 

"Well, I didn't finish," Alex said, "You said to think about things I found arousing. So I started to and it was working, but then it was them. So I stopped." 

Eyelashes feathering down, Alex said, "I tried to think about other things." 

Marita, for instance, that was as near as Alex had ever come to paradise. He had been almost inside her when he glanced up and saw her distant expression. He had lost it immediately. She hadn't laughed and had tried to arouse him again, but he pretended to sleep, afraid he would just go limp again. Then he had really fallen asleep and she screwed him all right. 

Of course, that was all Alex could think about with his dick in his hand, Marita taking the kid with the oil worms inside. Then his memory of the black oil overwhelmed him and that was the end of not only jacking off, but of any chance of sleep. 

Of course, if Alex had slept, he might have come in his sleep. He woke up sticky and feeling sated often. If he really thought about, he knew his dreams had featured either Mulder or Skinner or both. Except for the one about a giant panda...that one was so strange he was afraid to ask Doctor Rubenstein what it meant. 

"Alex, we still have nearly half an hour," the doctor said in his gently voice. "It seems to me that Mr. Mulder and Mr. Skinner are making overtures of friendship. You know how often I've said that you have to start somewhere." 

"Those men have every reason to hate me," Alex replied. 

"Then why are they so important to you?" Dr. Rubenstein said. 

"You don't really believe anything I say, do you?" Alex grumbled. "We're fighting a war whether you believe it or not." 

"A struggle for heaven and earth?" Rubenstein quoted. 

Hearing the smile in the doctor's face, Alex felt like hunting down one of the alien bastards and bringing it in to confront Rubenstein. 

"It's not that I don't believe you," the psychologist said. "I'm just pointing out that you're in denial. From what few things you have said, there's no reason for you to work so closely with those men. You were in the habit of passing information anonymously. Why did you stop?" 

"I had to," Alex insisted. "They needed to know that the information was believable, especially Skinner. Mulder might accept information left by an invisible informant. Hell, he might have thought the Enterprise slipped back in time to save the planet or the fairies tinkled good luck on him, but Skinner is a tougher nut. He's a hard ass. I have to prove to him over and over that we're all on the same side now." 

"Why?" Rubenstein probed. 

"Ah, fuck it, I'm out of here. Send me a bill," Alex snarled, standing up, grabbing his jacket, and stalking out the door like an embarrassed tomcat. 

OooOooO 

Walter felt in a cheerful mood. In retrospect, he was pleased at the way Alex fled. It made him feel certain that Alex was not entirely following under Mulder's spell. Walter couldn't wait to get Alex into bed with them both, but he was competitive enough to want to win the wager. Besides the idea of being first was a thrill. There was something about the idea of confident Krycek as a guileless virgin... 

The thought was so arousing that Walter shoved it away for now. First, come up with the winning strategy before he anticipated the prize. That's why he was going to win. Mulder reacted. Walter thought like a general. He knew he needed to make a feint to get Alex to drop his defenses. 

Perhaps a different approach might work. Alex felt more comfortable talking about the mission. Walter would pursue that avenue. From comrade in arms to a comrade in his arms might not be such a big leap. 

This time, Walter eschewed flowers. He did bring a sack of groceries. Alex liked to eat and perhaps some Russian food would seduce him toward sentiment. If not, Walter had purchased enough Bacchus Wine to debauch an entire temple of Vestal Virgins. 

If Alex was uncomfortable about why Walter was bringing a romantic meal, Walter planned to growl something about troops marching on their stomachs. If Alex couldn't accept romance, perhaps high testosterone would work better. 

OooOooO 

Still on edge from his session with Dr. Rubenstein, Alex was anxious to be home. He wanted to go to earth, huddle in the meager safety of his hole in the wall. The elevator doors were closing as he walked into the lobby. Alex yelled, "Hold the door!" 

A hand reached out and literally grabbed the door. Alex made a dash and ran right into the 'good Samaritan' that had taken the time to wait for him. 

The man smelled good. Alex felt a bone-melting sensation and the urge to just snuggle deeper into the massive arms. A moment later, Alex groaned as he realized the entire package of pheromone-packed attractiveness was AD Skinner. 

"What? No flowers?" Alex snarled, trying to evoke a belligerent response. "What a coincidence meeting you in an elevator like this. Remind you of the bad old days?" 

Skinner said, "Listen, Krycek, you don't want to get in a pissing contest with me. Or did you forget that the nanocytes no longer work?" 

"I don't forget anything that important," Alex said. "What the hell is it now?" 

"I want to talk to you about the APG," Walter said. "You need to get us more information." 

"We can talk in my apartment," Alex said, relieved that it was business. "What's in the bag?" 

"Food," Walter replied, "an army marches on its stomach." 

Okay, that sounded safe. Alex began to relax. This he could handle. 

"Okay, I guess I could eat," Alex said. "How the hell did you get back in here?" 

Flipping a device in the air, Walter said, "A present from Frohike. State of the art anti-security device." 

"Son of a bitch," Alex grumbled. "He has been trying to one up me ever since he heard that I cracked the MJ disc." 

"He owed me a favor," Walter said. "I wasn't sure if you would let me in after the way you left. I guess Mulder came on a bit strong." 

Alex flinched. So that's what this was about. Skinner was jealous and had come over to see if Alex had trespassed on his territory. The elevator stopped. It was Alex's floor. He sincerely wished he could somehow dash out and send the damn thing back to the lobby. 

The man was so closely attached to Alex's heels that he could swear he felt Walter's warm breath on his neck. His shoulder blades tight, Alex fumbled with his key. He dropped it and leaned down to get it. Sure enough his ass rammed right into Walter's crotch. Jesus, the man felt as if he was more than half hard. Alex bet he was just about coming in his pants at the idea of beating him up. 

Now more nervous than ever, Alex managed to open the door and rushed to his refrigerator. "Let me get you a beer," Alex said. 

"I brought wine. Take it easy, Alex, let me get this food put together and we can discuss the chemical plant," Walter said. 

"The place is fucking dangerous," Alex said. 

"That's why I wanted to talk about it with you," Walter said. "Mulder has the Gunmen trying to hack into their computer system, but they aren't having much luck." 

"I said it was dangerous," Alex said, "The man who is in charge there has no weaknesses. We aren't ready to go after a big fish like that yet. He has politicians in his pocket and a lot of ties to the department of defense." 

"I didn't say we should go after the plant," Walter said. "I just want to make sure that there is no human experimentation going on there. Why don't you ask around and make sure?" 

"Ask around?" Alex bitched. "What you want me to disguise myself as a Campfire Girl and try to peek in the door under the pretense of selling cookies?" 

Walter was busy unpacking his bag. Besides the wine, he had brought siomga, smoked turbot fish, a tin of caviar, Cervelat with Cognac, pelmeni dumplings, smoked ham, marinated vegetables, assorted cheese, darnitsky bread, grapes, and a golden tin of chocolate, just like the ones that use to sit in Alex's grandmother's parlor, emerged. Perhaps, Walter was going to encourage Alex to eat himself to death. 

"I need a platter," Walter said. 

Fumbling in his meager cupboard, Alex located a brown tray that he often used to eat in front of his computer. He handed it to Walter. 

"That will do," the man said agreeably. He assembled the food on the tray and brought it into the living room. He poured Alex a glass of wine, Bacchus Dry, the perfect wine for the spicy food that Walter had brought. Although two bottles? How long was this meeting supposed to last? 

The food was good. Alex had forgotten how good, good Russian food could be. The odd thing was that Walter didn't ask a single question; he just kept pouring glasses of wine. Between the salty food and the spicy food, it was easy not to count the glasses of wine. One bottle died before they had moved onto dessert. 

The room took on a romantic glow. Walter removed his glasses. His cheeks were rosy between the wine and the hot spices. Alex found himself glancing from beneath his lashes at the man, his senses afire. Mulder was a lucky man. 

"Do you want a chocolate?" Alex said, eying the tin. 

"Yes, I have a sweet tooth," Walter said. "Have to work it off at the gym. Boxing, but you know that." 

"Yeah, I've watched you," Alex admitted. 

Watched and gone home to jack off. 

Of course, that was back before Alex had to meet and talk with the man as an equal. It was different having fantasies over someone with whom you worked. 

Well, there was chocolate. Alex picked up the tin and struggled with it. 

"Let me get that," Walter said. Flipping the ornate tin open, he extracted a hazelnut chocolate and said, "Have you tried these?" 

Alex walked over to look for another of the treats in the tin, but to his surprise, Walter popped the one in his hand into Alex's mouth. "There, these are the best ones." 

Okay, well, the chocolate was good. Rich chocolate surrounded the hazelnut. Alex reached for another one and lost his balance, lurching into Walter's lap. 

Oh fuck. 

Alex said, "Excuse me." 

Struggling to get up, Alex could swear that Walter Skinner's limbs surrounded him. Somehow in the course of innocently trying to help him up, the man's strong, large hands were everywhere. 

Staggering back to the couch, Alex found another glass of wine in his hand. Without thinking, he drank it and the next. At some point, Walter's voice breathed in his ear, "Let me put you to bed. I'll put the leftovers in your fridge. I loved having someone to eat Russian food with, Alex. We'll have to do this again." 

Dazed and in a haze of alcohol, Alex didn't stop Walter from undressing him. Of course, if the man had taken it further, he might have freaked. However, Walter merely relieved him of his prosthesis, stripped off his clothing, and kissed his forehead. "Good night, Alex. Thank you for working with us. I never have told you how much I respect the chances you are taking." 

Wow. 

OooOooO 

The next morning, Alex would have thought it was a dream except his fridge was full of leftovers. Walter had even left the chocolates. 

Sitting down with aspirin washed down by weak tea, Alex pondered the situation. 

Finally, Alex concluded that Walter really wanted him to penetrate the chemistry plant. All the wining and dining now made sense. Even Spender had treated Alex a little better when he wanted him to do something particularly dangerous or terrible. 

What a relief to finally have discovered why Mulder and Skinner had suddenly started to treat him as they were courting him. 

Alex pondered the situation and decided that perhaps they were right. The APG Chemical Plant was a problem. Maxim Mueller was like Spender on steroids. Where Spender had a flare for drama like those mystery novels he was always trying to write and had insisted on reading to Alex, Mueller was as cold blooded and a hell of a lot more practical. He was a dangerous enemy. It truly was brilliant of Skinner to decide that Alex should scope out the plant. 

Taking a deep breath, Alex sat down at his computer. Perhaps the Lone Gunmen hadn't been able to shoot through the defenses of the plant's security system, but Alex had an advantage. He retained codes that he was sure Mueller felt were secure. First, he would hack into the system and find a weakness. Next he would go to the plant. 

A little boy voice told Alex that if he could succeed in breaking into the plant and finding something that Mulder and Skinner could use that they would really forgive him... 

Perhaps Alex would have finally won their respect... 

OooOooO 

* * *

HOW TO LOSE A RAT IN TEN DAYS, PART 8 Liz

Alex shimmied through a duct and squirmed down a shelving unit in a basement closet. Two days of surveillance, hacking and staring at his bedroom ceiling had led him to a minute flaw in the otherwise stellar security at the massive APG complex, the kind of flaw small enough to be completely overlooked but easily exploited once discovered. 

He waited at the door of the custodian's closet for a full quarter hour, barely breathing or blinking, his mind taking one last run through his plan. Get in, scan the labs, finagle his way into the computer network, get the security data they needed and then run like hell. Piece of cake, he thought darkly, then let his busy brain settle into the more comfortable, robotic mission mode. 

/////////////////////// 

Mulder knocked louder and called through the door. "Alex! Hey, open up. Got a few more questions for you!" 

With a jaded shrug, Mulder popped the lock of the apartment with a skill not usually found in former Federal agents. The silence that greeted him was the empty kind, not the quiet guy reading silence or the guy in the shower silence. Mulder looked around the entryway and living room and two things caught his eye. Alex's computer desk held a scattering of notes and drawings that looked like a few days' accumulated hard work. And sitting on top of the printer was a halfempty tin of Walter's favourite chocolates. 

Mulder whistled through his teeth as he flipped through the stack of papers. Alex's scrawled writing and penciled drawings told him everything he needed to know about what Alex was doing and whose idea it had been. 

That sneaky SOB, he thought admiringly. The roses didn't do the trick, so he's going to seduce our little virgin with an adrenaline rush. 

He picked up a well-detailed security schematic that bore the APG logo, tucked it into his jacket, grabbed two candies from the tin and walked out the door. 

//////////////////////////////// 

Alex had that funky nervous feeling that things couldn't possibly be going this well. He'd made it through four floors of security checkpoints and video cameras without so much as drawing one of his weapons and now, outside the R & D labs, he was almost ready for someone to yell `April Fool's' at him as he slid a faked-up pass card through the reader. The light switched to green so quickly he almost jumped. 

Alex slipped through the door, quickly pressed his back to it and then paused, giving his eyes a moment to adjust to the dim, red light. They froze in a horrified stare at the sight before him and his first cold thought was that he could tell Walter and Mulder that the sadists at APG actually were experimenting on humans. 

If you could still call human the mutilated near-corpses stacked vertically in cold storage. 

Alex shivered and wondered briefly if there was something he could do, that minute, to end the wordless suffering in front of him. Then, mercifully, the robot switched back on and he could look past the torment of the creatures into the unsecured workstation in the room beyond. 

He edged around the two ceiling-mounted cameras and, having identified two others in the walls, made his way to the glass-walled room. Another quick swish of the pass card and he was in. Two nail-biting minutes of encryption massaging and he was ready to download the security clearance data for the entire APG mainframe. 

As he swapped a filled disk for an empty one, the thought flitted through his mind again that this was too fucking easy and, only seconds later, he was proved right. The murky lights in the room behind him flared to life, flooding the place with harsh fluorescence. 

He whirled around, reaching beneath his jacket for his closest gun, but froze again at the sight of Fox Mulder being dragged into the room by what Alex knew was an alien. One of the more humourless specimens. And right behind it was Maxim Mueller. 

It took Alex less than a moment to realize the group was unaware of his presence in the room and he dove beneath a counter running around the room's perimeter so it stayed that way. 

Goddamn Mulder, anyway, he thought, stupidest fucking genius on the planet. 

A familiar voice carried through a vent above the door and Alex's ears perked up. 

"I told you, I'm looking for Dr. Nutcracker. My urologist. He's in Suite 200." 

A soft chuckle was the first answer to Mulder's bland response, followed by the sickening squish of fists on flesh and the gasping whoosh of someone's belly getting hammered. 

"Try again, please," came Mueller's placid voice. "How did you get in this building?" 

"Magic. I'm practicing for my one-man Houdini tribute." 

Another series of thudding punches and Alex heard Mulder start to heave. 

"In the hall. Don't let him do it in here." There was a scuttling noise as the door opened and Mulder was thrown out, still retching. Alex's stomach clenched in sympathy at the nasty sounds. He listened cautiously and determined they were still there and would probably come back into the lab once Mulder finished hurling his dinner. Anything he was going to do had to happen now. 

He crouched and duck-walked over to the computer station, mentally reviewing the layout of the checkpoints. Ignoring the sweat tickling his back, he punched in a random code for the floor below, knowing the incorrect sequence would set off an alarm and, hopefully, be enough of a distraction to get at least one of the threats out of the way. 

"Brought a friend with you, did you?" Mueller purred, then ordered the alien to find the elusive second intruder. He hauled Mulder back into the lab and pushed him face-first against one of the glass-walled tombs that held a disemboweled body. 

"Do you want to know what happened to this man?" Mueller asked politely, then, not waiting for an answer, detailed for Mulder, and Alex in his hiding place, the torture and anguish inflicted and observed and recorded. 

Mueller pulled Mulder away from that window and shoved him against a second, this one holding a still-breathing woman. Her body showed signs of middle-term pregnancy, but none of the horrific damage of the other subjects around them. That didn't keep her face from being frozen in a shriek. 

"How about her? Should I tell you what they're doing to her? Or are you going to tell me something instead?" 

"F-fuck off," Mulder managed to wheeze and Alex heard a sharp crack as Mueller slammed Mulder's head against the glass. 

Alex said a muted prayer and peered cautiously above the counter, seeing Mueller holding Mulder, slumped and unconscious, against the glass. Alex's movement toward the door was arrested by the sudden return of the alien, reporting that no one else had been found on the floor below and none of the outer doors had been breached. 

The conversation between the two was broken up by a groan from Mulder. Mueller shook him roughly, then handed him to the alien to hold while he bent down. Alex couldn't see what he was doing, but the calm voice carried from wherever he was. 

"Well, my secretive friend, it looks like your lack of cooperation is going to cost you a bit." 

There was the soft sound of a drawer opening then a low, whining noise started as Mueller came into view again and stepped closer to Mulder and the alien. Alex searched his memory to place the irritating hum and suddenly a movie scene from long ago flew through his mind--Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier...oh, fuck, Alex hissed mentally, dental drill. That's what that is. 

His mind sped up, pawing through and discarding ideas and schemes. Mulder was awake enough to start struggling against the alien's hold and he kicked out as Mueller leaned even closer to him. A small connection with Mueller's knee earned him a harsh slap across one cheek and then the drill brushed across the other, laying a thin line open. 

Alex felt his adrenaline pouring through his veins and he fought to keep himself from rushing out of the room to rip Mueller's head from his neck. The blood trickling down Mulder's cheek was tearing holes through parts of him that Alex hadn't known existed until that moment. 

"Move him," Mueller ordered calmly. "Over here." He pointed to a work table and Alex could see restraints bolted to the four corners. The alien lifted Mulder with ease and set him down roughly. He turned to pull up the restraints and Alex's heart gave a painful leap as he made a quick, effortless decision. 

In one fluid move, he stood up, shoved the door open with his foot, pulled a knife from its sheath at his back and threw it, arcing it perfectly and sending it slicing into the alien's neck like a fin through water. 

The creature dropped like a broken marionette, the green goo sizzling and spitting for a moment. 

Mueller turned around, still calm, only raising his eyebrows slightly at the sight of Alex poised coolly in the doorway. He blinked his creepy, pale grey eyes slowly and an unpleasant grin crept across his face. 

"Well, well, Mr. Krycek. I suppose I owe your former employer some money. I actually thought you were dead for good this time." 

Alex leaned against the doorway with a well-feigned return of his cocky pose. "You should know better than to underestimate me, Mueller. And Mulder," he continued with a sneer. "My old buddy, Fox Mulder. How'd you get your hands on him?" 

Mueller quirked another look at Alex. "Really, Alex, am I supposed to believe he's not with you? That I've suffered the indignity of two breaks in my security system tonight?" 

Alex shrugged and stepped forward. "You know Spender'll have your balls if you screw with Mulder. He's so touchy about family." 

"So you're looking out for my welfare when you waste a perfectly good employee? How very thoughtful of you," Mueller said with another ill-natured smile. "Now, why don't you tell me what you're doing in my lab? Sight-seeing?" 

"Plenty to see, that's for sure," Alex replied with the same coolness. "Does Spender know you've got a Dr. Frankenstein set-up going on under his nose?" 

"I don't concern myself with Spender these days." The pleasant tone left the cold voice as Mueller snapped, "What are you two doing here?" 

"I can't answer for Mulder, but I'm working for your boss. Checking up on security. And not a moment too soon, I'd say, given the way I waltzed in here." He took a few more steps forward until Mueller pulled a gun from his pocket. 

"Alex, your arrogance is as amusing as ever. But I don't underestimate you. I've seen too many people do it in the past and wind up quite dead. Tell me what you're doing here, who you and Mr. Mulder are working for. And the truth, please, Alex, or I'll have no choice but to kill you both." 

"Kill Mulder all you want. It'll get him out of my hair. Just don't let Spender find out it was you. Me, I told you who I'm working for. Don't let it make you too nervous, Max, that your boss is checking up on you." 

Mulder, still lying on the table, had been keeping very still during this exchange, waiting for the dizziness of the blow to his head to ease off. Alex's words made him try to sit up and a grunt of pain escaped him, drawing Mueller's attention away from Alex for one careless instant. 

Before Mueller could really see anything, his gun had been kicked from his hand and he was being pushed face down on to the table as Mulder scrambled off. 

"Get the fuck out of here, you damned idiot," Alex hissed as Mulder stood up shakily and opened his mouth to speak. Alex jerked his head to the door. 

"Go on!" he shouted when Mulder still hesitated. Mueller was struggling mightily against Alex's one-armed hold and Alex turned back to crack the man hard across the back of the neck with his forehead. 

Mulder followed the blow with his eyes and saw the telltale spikings along the column of Mueller's neck. Meeting Alex's eyes and seeing the cut on his forehead begin to bleed, he nodded and ran from the room, trusting that Alex would be right behind him, after finishing Mueller off. 

"Walter, be home, be home," Mulder chanted under his breath as their home phone began to ring. 

He'd retraced his and Alex's route through the building, barely getting into the closet duct and out through the vent Alex had loosened when a general alarm sounded. He'd sprinted half a mile to the nearest road, expecting with each step to hear a burst of gunfire or a shout of discovery. He gave his car up as a loss, knowing he'd have to circle the entire APG complex to get back to where he'd parked in a small wooded spot. He walked along the road, keeping to the shoulder and diving into the thick under brush of the ditch whenever he heard traffic. It took him close to an hour to find a pay phone at a gas station and now here he was, praying mightily that Walter was home and that Alex was safe. 

"Yes?" a deep, familiar voice answered. 

"Thank God, Walter," Mulder breathed. "Listen, we need you..." 

"Fox? Where the hell are you? It's four in the morning." 

"I know, I know. Listen to me, Walter, I need you to come to the Citgo on Route 14. Alex may be in trouble." 

"What's going on?" Mulder could hear rustling sounds and knew Walter was dressing. 

"We went to APG..." 

"You did what?" AD Skinner-voice boomed over the receiver and Mulder winced. 

"Walt, I'll tell you everything, just get in the damn car and meet me here. I don't know if he got out." A cold wave swept over Mulder and he wasn't sure if it was fear or shame or some horribly uncomfortable combination of both. 

"Okay, I'm calling you back on the cell. What's the number?" 

It was another half-hour before Mulder saw the familiar lights of Walter's Volvo. Walter pulled into the station and opened the passenger door for Fox, then wrapped his arms around him after he got in. 

"I'm going to tan your hide for you one of these days, Mulder. Now tell me what happened." The harsh words were softened by a gentle kiss at Mulder's temple and Mulder found himself spilling everything. That he'd broken into Alex's apartment and thought Walter was trying to get ahead of him in their bet. About Mueller's goon sneaking up on him outside the labs and Mueller's horror show that had almost scared the piss out of him. How Alex had taken down the alien and given Mulder the chance to get out. And that he hadn't seen or heard from Alex since. 

"Do you think he's okay, Walt?" Mulder asked almost timidly. 

//////////////////////////////// 

Alex was not okay. 

As hard as he hit Mueller and as strong as his one arm was, he couldn't subdue the bastard. Mueller finally managed to get a grip on Alex's neck and pulled, tightening his hand round Alex's throat until the younger man lost consciousness. 

When he woke, only a minute or two later, he was on the work table, his one arm restrained as he'd feared Mulder would be and Mueller just finishing fastening his legs. He tried to sit up and Mueller came to stand at the top of the table where Alex had to turn his head to see him. 

"Ah, you're awake already. You are a strong man, aren't you, Alex? Not strong enough, though. Not as strong as us." 

"'As us?'" Alex quoted in his cocky voice. "What, you have a brother around here? I would have thought your mother would have had her tubes tied the minute she saw you." 

Mueller laughed, the same creepy, soft chuckle Alex had heard earlier that night. "Well, let's dispense with the pleasantries now, hmmm? You're going to tell me who you're working with and then you're going to tell me where I can find Fox Mulder so I can have his throat ripped out. And if you tell me, right now, I'll kill you with one bullet, right here." He trailed a fat finger over the gash in Alex's brow and didn't miss the reflexive flinch. "If you don't tell me, right now, you are going to be the main attraction at this week's research session." 

Alex said nothing and began mentally pulling himself away as Mueller waited. When Alex didn't respond, Mueller ran his finger over Alex's brow again, then down his cheeks, one after the other. 

"Alex, you know me well enough to know that I'm not a patient man." The gently stroking finger was suddenly gathered into a fist and slammed into Alex's nose. "Right now was ten seconds ago." 

It didn't take long for enough blood to pool in the back of Alex's throat to make him gag and he turned his head to the side, spitting onto the floor and splashing Mueller's shoes. 

"Tell me and maybe I'll only use you in the labs for a day." 

Another blow across the face opened a gash in Alex's top lip. 

"Alex, don't be a stubborn boy, now." Mueller reached for Alex's prosthesis and tore it off, ignoring the rip of the straps and Alex's jerk at the pain to the always-sensitive stump. The other man studied the limb for a moment or two and then suddenly brought it down across Alex's knees. He grinned wickedly when Alex couldn't quite bite back a hoarse grunt of pain. 

"This is interesting, don't you think? You're a connoisseur, after all. Spender was always impressed with your interrogation skills." 

Another crack across his thighs this time and Alex tried not to think too hard about the fact that Mueller was going up instead of down. "You can appreciate another person's talents, can't you? Maybe, if you're still coherent in a bit, we can compare notes. You know, have a little shop talk." 

The next blow was across Alex's belly and, through the burning mist of pain, he was vaguely glad it hadn't been in the crotch. 

"You thought I was going to give you one in the dick, didn't you?" Mueller leaned over Alex's face and smiled benignly. "I'm saving that for later. For something a little more fun than this." He punctuated the last word with another crashing smack into Alex's gut. 

Part 9 Bertie 

Before the blow landed on Alex's bruised belly, Walter's hand caught Mueller's wrist. 

Alex opened his tightly clenched eyes and watched as Walter grappled with Mueller. He was surprised how the big man gracefully removed the prosthesis nimbly from Mueller's grasp and then shoved the mad scientist hard with a well turned shoulder. Mueller flew across the room and his head smacked hard against the lab tables edge. He collapsed, slowly sliding down to the floor. 

Walter hefted Alex up over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and, without saying a word, carried him out of the labs as fast as he could. 

Whenever a guard would come towards him, he'd shoot him between the eyes and move on. 

With all the sickening experiments going on, the place wasn't wired for loud claxon calls. He was certain there would be more than one guard to hinder him but he was bound and determined to get through without a scratch. 

Once he was home with his two errant boys, he would definitely show them the errors of their ways. He really hated being Mister Rescue. It unnerved him. He wondered if he should be wearing spandex with a big W on his chest. 

Mulder was there waiting behind the wheel. He had used an emergency supply kit Walter left in the car to bandage himself up. Walter opened the passenger door and slid in, still holding Alex in his arms. He growled, "Step on it!" 

They were soon zooming out of the plant's parking lot. Alex was crumpled against Walter's shoulder and Mulder's lip trembled, knowing he was the reason Alex was hurt so badly. 

"Later, Mulder, we need to get home." Walter's reassuring tones appeased Mulder's guilt temporarily. 

When they finally arrived home, morning light dawning, Walter looked at the sleeping Alex and had to pause for a moment. Alex looked like a little boy snuggled against his right side. Walter wanted to kiss those pretty lips desperately but somehow managed to refrain himself. 

Mulder opened the driver's side door and closed it softly then went around to the passenger side. He noticed the same thing Walter did. He of course didn't refrain. He bent and kissed those pretty lips awake, careful of the cut above them. 

"Wha-?" Alex's eyes fluttered open and looked up at Mulder so close to him. 

"Sh, it's still early yet and Mrs. Patterson next door gets pissy when we wake her up," Mulder whispered. 

Alex scrubbed at his eyes and then looked over at Walter. "Thanks, W-walter, wasn't sure if I was going to make it out of there alive." 

Walter shook his head. "Later, my boy, you need to rest." 

Walter got out of the car while Mulder helped Alex slowly ease out of the passenger side. 

Walter let Mulder take Alex to their bed while he went in search of emergency supplies. When he returned, Mulder was surveying the damage. 

Alex was blushing furiously at their careful looks. 

"That mother fucker punched him, Walter." 

"Yeah, I see." Walter took out a sterilized gauze pad and dipped it in peroxide. He dabbed at the cut over Alex's lips and cleaned the dried blood from around Alex's cute nostrils. 

Alex winced but Walter didn't stop until he was certain Alex was cleaned thoroughly. Walter threw away the bloody pad and then started cleaning the gash on Alex's forehead. 

"How'd you subdue Mueller so fast, Walter? I thought he was a super soldier...." 

"He was, but I was carrying some magnetite on me. Seemed to weaken him a bit. Better than an American express card at getting out of bad situations." Walter grinned and Alex smiled. 

Mulder didn't like the easy rapport they were having but he really saw no way to remedy the situation. 

"Are you hungry, Alex? Thirsty?" 

"Water will do for now, Mulder. He needs to rest." 

Mulder pouted for a second but then left to get a glass of water for Alex. 

"Is Mulder going to be alright?" asked Alex. "He was hit rather hard." 

"Mulder's like Frankenstein's monster, a few nips and tucks here and there and he's good to go." 

Mulder grumped behind them. "Here you go, Alex." He glared at Walter who grinned evilly at him. 

Walter gave Alex a codeine tablet as he drank the water. 

"That will help you sleep, Alex." 

Like a good boy, after he finished the water, his eyes drooped and he was soon softly snoring. 

Walter pulled Mulder out of the room and, in the spare bedroom, said, "Mulder, I think there is a definite spanking that your backside is owed." 

"Walter! Not now! We have a guest and everything. Besides, I need some of your TLC as much as Alex does," Mulder whined. 

"Alright, the first part of that TLC begins with my hand across your backside! Drop 'em!" 

Mulder whimpered, but pulled down his pants at Walter's tone. 

Walter settled himself on the bed. Mulder obediently shuffled to him and laid himself down over Walter's thighs. 

"Now tell me, Fox, what you did wrong?" 

Mulder gritted his teeth but then finally managed, "I jumped the gun by breaking into Alex's apartment and finding out what he was doing...then I interfered." 

Walter snorted. "Understatement is your specialty, Fox. Yes, you certainly did interfere. And you will be sorry for that!" 

Walter stroked the warm cheeks under his hand for just a moment then slapped down hard several times in quick succession. 

Mulder didn't cry once, taking it like a good little soldier, but Walter wasn't finished with his wayward lover just yet. 

"There, that wasn't too bad, but there is one thing you didn't realize." 

Mulder moaned, not wanting to hear another lecture. "What?" 

"Alex was trying to gain our trust, Fox. He wanted to show us that he could be trusted and we would forgive him. Though I rescued him, it doesn't help the fact he still feels we can't trust him and that is definitely something you cannot fix easily." 

Mulder bit his lip, his eyes trying not to tear up, his nose nearly hitting the floor at the angle he was in. 

"What do you think we can do about that?" 

Mulder shook his head. There wasn't anything they could do to make Alex realize they trusted him. Alex would have to figure that out for himself. 

Walter lifted Mulder up, letting him sit on his lap, his pants still trapping his legs together. 

"I think we may have to rethink this bet. We have to work together to get him to feel we can trust him, and this bet is a definite hindrance to that. Don't you agree?" 

Mulder shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so." He still believed he could win the bet. 

"OK, how about this- we will work together to try to win Alex's trust, but if one of us does happens to get into those steel trapped shorts of Alex's first then that person wins the bet. Sound like a plan?" 

"Yeah, Walt, it does." Mulder then looked at Walter with puppy dog eyes. "Now for some of your other kind of TLC?" 

Walter smiled then, doing his best to avoid the bandages, kissed those pouty lips softly then more passionately. 

* * *

Part 10 Amazon 

Krycek awoke to the sounds of moaning and squeaking. The squeaking was the wooden bed frame and the moaning was the men in the bed. Carefully, he slipped from the bed he lay upon and stood straight. His stomach screamed at him to lie back down, but the sounds were too enticing to ignore. A quick look around in the first morning light gave Krycek the impression he was in the two lovers' own bedroom. If that was the case, where were they? 

Trying not to make a sound proved virtually impossible for a man in an immense amount of pain, but Krycek realized that the other two inhabitants weren't thinking about where he was at the moment. From the little light in the master bedroom, he could see that Mulder and Walter liked to live well. The carpet under his bare feet felt thick and soft, and expensive. The furniture was all heavy wood pieces, oak or cherry wood. It was hard to tell in the semi-dark. The windows boasted well-designed drapes and custom rods. These guys liked to live well. They really cared about their comfort, Krycek surmised. 

After exiting the bedroom, Krycek crept down the short hallway to the door where the sound emanated. The door was half open, inviting Krycek to look, to see what he was missing, and to see what he could be having. The dawn was barely beginning, but it sent enough rosy light into the room to illuminate the two men who were together on the bed. It was a position Krycek didn't even think he could imagine. 

Skinner was lying flat on his back, diagonally across the bed. Mulder straddled his head, and thrust his long, slender cock in and out of the older man's mouth and from the look of it, his throat as well. Mulder's back and buttocks were solid muscle flexing back and forth gently. Two meaty hands reached up and took hold of the lush, full ass cheeks. Skinner's own cock stood up straight, slightly curved, and thicker than any cock Krycek had ever seen. It was dark with blood, and bobbed with what seemed to be Skinner's heartbeat. Watching Skinner's hands work Mulder's flesh as the big man took the entire length of Mulder's erection over and over, Krycek couldn't help but notice his own hard on filling his jeans. They were his work jeans, black, soft and loose-fitting, so that he could move easily but not snag on anything. It didn't matter how loose they were, there was little room for his full cock. 

"Yes, Walter, oh, God, you're gonna make me come," he gasped. The two big hands gripped Mulder's waist and pulled him backward. The cock slipped from Walter's mouth with a loud, wet slurp. Krycek was riveted. 

Skinner grabbed the ready bottle of lube from where it lay beside him on the bed and sat up as Mulder knee-walked backward over his body toward the massive organ. Mulder settled himself on Skinner's thighs. Blood pounded in Krycek's ears as he watched Mulder accept the bottle. It was all he could do to keep the groan in his chest and not let it out of his mouth. The couple remained oblivious. A hand went to Krycek's denim-covered member. 

Slowly, Mulder positioned himself over Skinner's monster-cock, and Krycek was astounded to watch the entire length and girth, disappear easily. Mulder took no preparation, but then, he was probably used to Skinner's massive size inside him regularly. Mulder sat still for a moment, with a look that exuded sheer pleasure. Mulder was in a purely blissful state. The huge hands that had near mauled his ass were now clutching him, their fingers entwined as lovers would, saying a million different things to each other. 

It was a dance, a skillful ballet of passion, of lust, of love and comfort and care. In the lightening room, Krycek could see Mulder's ass was a bright red, and finger marks if he wasn't mistaken. They were kinky. Well, damn, he knew Mulder was a little freaky, but to accept Skinner hitting him? He didn't seem afraid.... 

The men began to move together, Mulder raising and lowering himself while Skinner thrust his hips up toward Mulder's body. The beat was constant, the melody accented with the sound of skin slapping on skin, groans of pleasure and the bed protesting the pressure. Krycek wasn't even aware that his hand was massaging his cock in his jeans, and his hips were gently thrusting on their own into his hand. 

The tempo of the dance grew faster and faster. Skinner moved with Mulder, still holding hands, still staring into each other's eyes. With quickened breath, Krycek thrust into his hand three more times and came, filling his pants with semen like a teenager. He pressed his back against the wall, out of the view of the couple and knew he'd probably groaned loud enough for them to hear. He made his way down the hall and down the stairs to use the small bathroom just off the kitchen to clean himself up. 

* * *

Skinner felt Mulder tightening around him, felt the flutter in the man's ass that was the tell-tale sign that he was close to coming. He wanted to hold on just to watch Mulder's face. He loved seeing Mulder's face when he came. The look of wild abandon that overtook the normally reserved former agent was what Skinner had come to live for. He also decided to give Mulder a little extra to make up for the spanking. 

"He saw us, Fox," Skinner whispered. 

Mulder, not stopping looked down and asked, "What? Huh?" 

"Alex, he was watching us. He came for us," Skinner announced, with a wide smile. With those words, Mulder began spasming around Skinner, and his come shot across Skinner's chest, a stream or two hitting his face. This was all Skinner needed, and was overtaken by his own orgasm. His semen shot high inside Mulder and it felt even warmer seeping around his cock. 

Spent and exhausted, Skinner lay back as Mulder leaned forward to lick the man clean. They kissed and Skinner reveled in the taste of Mulder in his own mouth. Mulder collapsed on his chest and they locked arms around each other. The kissing didn't stop as they wound down together, still connected by Skinner's half-hard cock in Mulder's ass. The heavy hands that had spanked Mulder's ass, then kneaded that abused flesh, were currently stroking over Mulder's sweaty back. 

With one last kiss, the men wordlessly rose and went to the bathroom to clean themselves up. After returning to the bedroom to retrieve their clothes, Mulder looked directly at Skinner. His face, rosy with afterglow, shone in the morning light of the recently risen sun. "What did you mean he was watching us?" Mulder cocked his head to the side the way he did when he was running his bullshit detector. 

"I mean, he stood in the doorway and watched us fuck. He masturbated and came and everything," Skinner stated, as if he were giving known evidence in a case meeting. 

"Oh, bullshit, Walter, he did not. I'd have heard him." The indignant look on Mulder's face was endearing. 

"Fox, my love, he not only watched and came, but he loved every minute of it. I heard him." 

"How come I didn't hear him?" 

"How much outside of your own body are you really aware of with my cock in your sweet, juicy ass?" Skinner's arms came around Mulder again, and they held each other, sharing a kiss. "Let me go make sure he's OK. You change the sheets." 

"Why do you get to go?" The pout was almost Skinner's undoing. 

"Because I saved his ass tonight. YOU got him in the predicament in the first place!" 

"ME? You bastard! I wasn't the one who plied him with chocolates, your favorite, I might add, and talked him into breaking into that place. And don't deny it." 

Skinner took a deep breath. "Fox, I will not let you stand there and accuse me of anything. Alex could have told me I was crazy and not bothered. And I didn't ask him outright, I suggested it. Now, let me go see if he's all right and I expect you to come downstairs as well to speak with him. I'll give you two all the privacy you need." 

Skinner left Fox in the room and made his way to the kitchen where he smelled fresh coffee brewing. He walked to the door and just watched for a moment. Krycek was pulling milk out of the refrigerator. He had three mugs on the counter and the sugar bowl. He as moving slowly, a little jerkily as he reached into the fridge, and Skinner knew he was still hurt badly. 

"Couldn't sleep?" Skinner asked, softly. Krycek whirled around and winced as he stopped to stare at Skinner. The big man made no move to enter the large kitchen. 

"No. I...uh... I made coffee, if that's OK. Sorry, I know I shouldn't sneak around other people's homes...but..." 

Skinner cut him off, walking into the room. "Alex, you are welcome to do anything you like here, short of bugging the place and blowing it up." Skinner smiled widely. 

"Well, I didn't want to disturb you and..." Krycek stopped there, rubbing a hand through his hair in embarrassment. 

Skinner stood before Krycek, hands in a neutral position at his side. "I know you watched us, Alex." 

The blush filled Krycek's face quickly and he ducked his head. He moved to step back, but Skinner's big hand came up gently to take Krycek's chin and raise it to look into the endless jade depths. "Alex, don't be embarrassed about seeing Fox and I together. I love him, very, very much. When we make love, it's like magic. I care for him deeply. And he cares for me. The same way we care about you, Alex." 

Shock and fear overtook the interest in Krycek's face. Skinner let go of the younger man and allowed him to step back. Krycek turned and took the pot from the coffeemaker to pour himself a cup. He doctored it with a touch of milk and a bare sprinkle of sugar. "Alex, if you think that lovemaking is anything more than what you saw in that room, you're wrong. Well, except for acts, yes, there are more positions, I suppose. But as far as feelings are concerned, if you saw even a fraction of how much I care for Fox, and translate that into how much I care for you, you'll begin to understand how I feel. You have nothing to fear from me. As I would never imagine hurting Fox in any way, I would also never, ever hurt you. Do you believe me?" 

Krycek's eyes were locked on Skinner's. He thought he almost saw a hint of chin trembling on the younger man. But the easy grin came back and said, "I think I know who I can trust." 

* * *

Part 11 Lynda 

// and I'm still not convinced it's you...// he thought. The grin still covering up the panic he felt inside, he picked up the cup of coffee and took a sip. "You've given me a lot to think about," he said looking up through his long eyelashes. 

At that moment, his dick growing harder by the second, Skinner wanted to ravish the man - only the knowledge that Alex had been abused as a child held him back from making a move there and then. 

At that moment, Mulder came bustling into the room. Making a bee line for the coffee pot, he passed between Krycek and Skinner, and even though he had enough room to pass, they each took a step back out of his way. 

While he was fixing himself a cup of the dark brew, Mulder said, "Breakfast ready yet, Walt?" 

As if on cue, Skinner stomach rumbled. With a sigh he turned to the fridge and started getting eggs, bacon, sausages and other goodies out of it. "Not quite yet," he said, "But you can lay the table while I do the cooking. 

Taking the opportunity to escape, Alex carried his coffee into the large, comfortable lounge and stood by the french doors, looking out into the garden. Slowly drinking his coffee, he started thinking about what Skinner had said to him in the kitchen, about himself and Mulder.... The scene in the bedroom had turned him on, and he had desperately wanted to join them... even now he was getting hard at the memory of the erotic sight of Mulder lowering himself on to Skinner's cock - he saw it again in his mind's eye. 

However, thinking about Mulder, and seeing the bruises left on his arms by the Alien, focussed his mind back on the fiasco of the night before.... 

Was he now hopelessly compromised, or would he be able to persuade Spender that Mueller was a threat to the Consortium and should be discarded? 

Yes, that might be the way to go. The gratuitous torture to which Mueller was subjecting his victims was way outside the remit of the Laboratory... and the gruesome display of the victims in tanks was an unacceptable risk... it was after all, rumours about the nature of the Lab's experiments that had alerted them to the existence of the illicit premises in the first place. So, after Skinner's prompting, he'd gone to take a look for himself and in doing so had put their security to the test. 

By the time Skinner called out that breakfast was ready, he had worked out what he needed to do, and as long as he could persuade Mulder, the Gunmen and Skinner to do his bidding, he could extricate them all from the night's consequences. 

With renewed confidence he joined the lovers at the table, and said, "We have to talk." 

Without looking up from his place, Krycek went on, "I have been thinking about last night." He paused while he ate some more food. Mulder's and Skinner's eyes met and they grinned at one another... their strategy was paying off; but the grins faded as Krycek continued talking. 

"The fiasco at the Lab is going to seriously compromise my standing within the Consortium and my ability to provide you, and the resistance, with information unless we can put some damage control measures in place." He looked up from his coffee mug to find chagrined expressions on the others' faces; it was obvious they hadn't given the consequences any thought at all. 

"What I propose is this. With the Gunmen's help, I put a message in Spender's read email - the Consortium equivalent of your 'request to investigate' - Then I write a report on the Lab and it's security... emphasizing the tortures inflicted on the victims, which Spender will abhor - torture for amusement is something he will not tolerate in anyone, especially on that scale. 

"I'll admit to getting Mulder free. You, Skinner, will have followed Mulder, missed him on the way out, and against your better judgement saved me instead... It might be something you want to tell Spender about that part yourself to cover your ass. You can cite what you like about your reasons - maybe just hearing Mueller ranting about me letting Mulder free would be sufficient - but I'll leave that up to you. Just make sure that it's after I've had a chance to plant my message into yesterday's email - to prime the pump so to speak. If Mulder will take me to the Gunmen, then to where I left my car last night - he can let you know that the message has been sent. 

"When I get home I can write my 'report' and email that..." He paused again to gauge their reactions and to see if they had any comments to make - when they just stared at him without saying anything he gave a mental shrug at the now stunned expressions. 

Putting another piece of sausage in his mouth, and looking directly at Skinner, he asked, "In your rescue mission did you happen to notice the torture victims?" 

Skinner's face took on a slightly green tinge and he swallowed hard twice before he managed a rather strangled 'yes' in reply. 

Alex nodded, noting his reaction. "You should include that, and your reaction, in your message, if we can make Spender angry enough he'll get rid of Mueller for us - then with any luck we ought to be able to get into the Lab's files in the ensuing confusion - I only need a few minutes at Mueller's workstation to set up some permissions that the Gunmen can exploit - I can work out what would suit them best when I see them this morning." 

Skinner looked from the bland expression on Krycek's face to the furious look on Mulder's at the mention of his reporting to Spender, and took a deep, calming breath. 

"That's a good idea, Alex. It tells Spender something we want him to know, and it will keep him thinking that I am still toeing the line... that should keep his nose out of my office for a while." 

Mulder still looked mutinous for a while, but slowly the force of his lover's argument overcame his prejudice, and his expression cleared. 

When the meal was over, Skinner chivvied the two younger men into getting ready and leaving to see the Lone Gunmen as he felt the sooner they got the first part of their plan in place, the better it would be for all of them... He had actually felt rather ashamed that the bet between himself and Mulder had so badly compromised their informant, for without it he would never have thought of suggesting that Alex try to get them the information on the laboratory in the first place. 

-oo0oo- 

When Mulder and Krycek reached the Gunmen's headquarters, Frohike didn't look at all pleased to see Alex trailing into their abode in Mulder's wake. However, once Mulder had told them the circumstances behind their visit, and Alex had explained what he wanted to do, Frohike's eyes gleamed with mischief. He took Alex over to his own terminal and they put their heads together to get the job done. 

Mulder hovered over their shoulders for a while until Byers drew him away with the promise of a cup of coffee and some interesting UFO information that had just come into their hands. 

Exactly twenty-two minutes after sitting down the two hackers, their mission accomplished, leaned back in their chairs grinning at each other. They both got to their feet, stretched, then joined the others at the table where Byers poured out a mug of coffee for each of them. 

Mulder drained the last of his mug, then said, "From your expressions, I take it you were successful." 

Frohike laughed. "No-one's Kung Fu is better than ours... and your boy's is not bad at all... he can have a job here any time." 

Alex just grinned and drank down his coffee, but it was obvious that he was pleased by the praise. 

After leaving the Gunmen's offices, Mulder dropped Alex off near where he'd left his car, then went on to work. Once there he phoned the AD's office and told him in a round about manner that the first part of the plan had been completed. 

Skinner thanked him for the information, then settled down to polish his version of their story before sending it on its journey to Spender. 

-oo0oo- 

When Alex reached his car he did the usual checks around it before driving away... one could never be too careful. 

Back at his apartment building, he parked in the secure garage, and took the elevator up to his floor. He opened the front with a feeling of trepidation, his hand hovering close to his gun, but no one was waiting for him with a welcome home present. He still checked the apartment thoroughly before sitting down in front of his laptop. He checked that for interference too, and only then did he fire up the word processor to start on his report, bearing his tenet in mind: Stick to the facts and tell most of the truth; don't leave any loopholes but don't be too verbose. 

A couple of hours later, Spender went into his office and found a lot of email in his inbox and by the time he had finished reading he was about ready to tear Mueller's head right off his shoulders all by himself. 

Part 12 Ratboy 

Two days later Alex's lip had closed up but was still tender. His bruising was brilliant in its ugliness, but it gave him an excuse to baby himself a little and stay home rather than head right out on another plan of attack or round of subterfuge. 

He didn't even realize what he was hoping might happen until the knock at his door at 1:35 pm. He felt a slight skip in his heartbeat. The only people who visited him were... he forcefully pushed away the breathy hope filling his chest and stalked to the door. 

Looking out the peephole gave him a good view of Walter Skinner's face staring back at him. The flare of pleasure brought a smile to his face and he had to stomp down on it hard before he could school his face and unlock the door. 

Skinner stood in the hallway, hands behind his back. He gave a charming smile and Alex felt his pulse jump again. He was entirely too glad to see Skinner and it worried him. He saw Skinner's eyes go to his technicolor face and watched the smile melt into an odd expression that looked almost...guilty. He stepped back and waved Skinner in. "Hey there." 

"Hello Alex. Sorry to come by unannounced but... well." Skinner suddenly produced from behind his back a handful of greyish-green ferny stalks. The silvery leaves looked like velvet. Alex blinked and felt the smile come back full force. Without warning, he felt a laugh bubble up. "I take it you recognize it," Skinner asked with a grin. "I did my homework this time." 

Alex lifted the plants to his face and inhaled deeply. "Artemisia abrotanum... better known by the common name Lad's Love." He felt the warmth of a flush color his cheeks even as he felt his smile stretching wider. "Cute, Skinner." 

"Took me a while to find them. And please, won't you call me Walter." 

Alex's eyes made a dive for the floor, but he nodded. "Walter. Come on in. Can I get you anything?" 

"No, I just came to see you." 

"Oh..." Alex paused, uncertain and suddenly uncomfortable. 

"I mean I wanted to see how you were feeling." 

Alex walked into the living room and dropped onto the couch, laying the Lad's Love on the low table. "I'm fine. I look like hell, but I'm feeling a lot better." 

"You don't look like hell," Walter objected, settling himself close to Alex on the couch. "You look like someone who went out of his way to get some very important and necessary information, and then put himself directly in the line of fire to save someone else's ass. And paid for it." Walter lifted one hand and lightly brushed a finger over Alex's cheek, just above his swollen and discolored lip. 

Alex flushed with pleasure and forced himself not to duck away from the touch. "I never really thanked _you_ for saving _my_ ass." 

Walter grinned. "It's an ass most definitely worth saving." 

Immediately Alex's cheeks went bright red and he looked away despite every effort not to. Frantically casting about, he grabbed at the first topic that came to mind. "It worked out really well in the long run. Spender shut the lab down flat. It's already cleaned up. I mean I'm sure Mulder would prefer that we'd actually been able to link it directly with Spender as opposed to all the evidence just going away, but at least it isn't in operation anymore." 

"We'll get the link to Spender one of these days. After what we saw, I agree... getting that place shut down was top priority. And protecting your status. Spender doesn't suspect you?" 

"No more than usual. He always suspects me of something. It's my job to keep him guessing on exactly what he should be suspecting me of." 

Walter laughed. "Smart boy. But then, you always were." 

Alex felt the thrill of Walter's approval race through him and tried to remind himself he wasn't going to put so much stock in it. It was damn hard, now that these guys were showing such honest indications of liking him. He swallowed. "I'm sorry about Mulder getting mixed up in the lab. I thought I could go in and get what you needed and get it to you. I didn't realize..." 

"Alex, don't apologize. You didn't know Mulder was going to follow you. I'm sorry his actions put you in danger. I gave him hell for it. We both feel very badly." 

Alex felt the words like a physical blow to his chest. The air rushed out of him and he stared at Walter. Had he really just _said_ that? Actually apologized... to Alex... for Mulder's actions? Actually acknowledged that Mulder's actions had put him in danger? Alex could barely comprehend Walter Skinner putting _his_ well being on a par with Mulder's. But the statement left no question. 

"Alex? Is something wrong?" 

"Uh... no. No, Walter. I'm okay. Just... a little pain is all," Alex temporized, trying to control the blossoming warmth in his chest. He didn't know what he'd done to deserve the sudden shift in their regard, but he knew he wanted to... _had_ to... keep it. He wanted to grab it with both hands and lock it away so it wouldn't ever tarnish again. 

"You know, I... brought a little something for that too," Walter was saying sheepishly, opening his jacket and pulling a tube out of his inner pocket. "It's an analgesic cream. I thought it might help with the bruising. I should have brought it by sooner, but I was tracking down the Lad's Love and I figured I'd better not show up the day after all the lab difficulties, given Spender's paranoia and all." 

Alex accepted the cream, blinking in surprise. This was really going to take some getting used to. Having people... care. Having people stop by to check on him, bring him medicine. "Thank you," he finally managed. "I... this will be really helpful." 

"Let me help you with it," Walter offered, shrugging off his suit coat and rolling up his shirtsleeves. "I'd like to take a look at the bruising anyway, make sure you're really doing okay." 

Alex shifted uncertainly on the couch but couldn't see a polite way to refuse. Besides, the concern felt... nice. "Uh, all right." He handed the cream back to Walter. 

"Take off your shirt. Oh, and while you're at it why don't you go ahead and take off your pants and I'll take a look at the bruising on your thighs as well." 

"I'm fine, Walter. You don't need... I mean, I really don't think-" 

"Don't even bother arguing, Alex. I'm not taking no for an answer. We got you into this and we've been feeling guilty ever since it happened. You're a mess and the least I can do is help you feel better and make sure everything is healing up okay. Shirt, pants, _off_. NOW." 

* * *

Walter smirked internally as the commanding tone got Alex's hand moving, lifting up his sweatshirt and unbuttoning his jeans. It was true... he really was feeling guilty and he knew Mulder was as well, but if it afforded him a good reason to get Alex undressed... damned if he was going to let it slip by! He watched as Alex shimmied awkwardly, trying to push down the jeans without losing his underwear in the process. Stretchy black boxer-briefs clung to his hips and crotch. Walter thought to offer to help him, but decided it might just scare him off completely. Instead he busied himself opening the tube of cream. 

Within minutes Alex leaned back in the corner of the sofa, sweatshirt rucked up under his arms, jeans down around his knees. His face couldn't have gotten any redder, but Walter ignored the fiery blush and instead gave Alex's body a critical once-over. "Wouldn't you be more comfortable with the shirt all the way off, Alex?" 

"Uh no... really... I-" 

"Here, why don't you lay down on the couch, and I'll just shift over here." 

Walter got up and sat on the low coffee table, then patted the cushions he'd vacated. "Swing your legs right up there." Taking hold of Alex's knees he guided him into position while the discombobulated assassin stuttered in protest. Without pause, Walter got his legs up on the sofa and stretched out. Gripping the jeans, he pulled them down further, until Alex's legs were completely bare and the denim sagged around his ankles. "There we go. That's better. And if you really want to keep the shirt on, go ahead, but you don't need to on my account." He gave Alex a meaningful look, then bent over his legs. 

Wincing, Walter lost all thought of seduction as he looked over the mottled bruising running over Alex's knees and thighs. Immediately he began to carefully rub the cream into the muscles and over the tender joints. He heard a soft rustle and glanced up to see that Alex had pushed the shirt up and off over his head, but had left it bunched over his left shoulder and the prosthesis, up against the back of the couch. 

Concentrating on the long thighs before him, Walter worked his fingers gently and thoroughly over the heavy muscles. Losing himself in the rhythm of the massage, it took him long moments to realize Alex's legs were shifting ever so slightly under his ministrations. Another few minutes and soft sighs started to reach his ears. Smiling to himself, he worked ever higher up one thigh and then the other until he was at the bottom edge of the briefs. The suddenly much fuller briefs. 

Looking up, he caught his breath at the dazed look in Alex's eyes. Alex's color was still high. Alex lying half-naked, stretched out on the couch, chest rising and falling rapidly, was an image Walter almost couldn't resist. _Slowly, slowly,_ he reminded himself. He would not make the mistake he was positive Mulder would make. He would not push too fast. He would show Alex he could be trusted. He would get Alex to the point that Alex would ask _him_ to make love to him! 

Smiling into the deep green of the cloudy gaze looking back at him, Walter waved one hand nonchalantly at Alex's groin, covered by the black cotton. Acting as if he didn't even notice the swelling, he innocently asked, "You're all right... there? No bruising?" 

"No bruising," Alex breathed in agreement, and the husky edge to his voice whittled away a little more of Walter's control. The slightly disappointed look on Alex's face took away another chunk. 

Settling back down to work, Walter picked up the tube and carefully squeezed out more of the cream directly on Alex's stomach. Working his fingers through it gently, he rubbed the cream upward toward Alex's ribs, and downward toward the waistband of the briefs. Moving his hands slowly apart from each other he stroked in both directions simultaneously, paying careful attention not to press too hard. While his left hand traced the ridge of Alex's lowest ribs, his right hand circled Alex's navel and moved below, through the line of black hair and to either side, under the edge of elastic... he pushed the waistband down... down... further. Waiting for Alex to stop him. Waiting for an objection that didn't come. Carefully not looking at Alex, he worked the underwear down until the waistband bared just the very beginning of the dark tangle of Alex's pubic hair... then stopped. Working his fingers back and forth, he massaged every cubic centimeter of exposed flesh, fingers slick and greasy with cream. He stroked his thumb over and over the indentation of Alex's navel. Moved his hand in sweeping circular swirls, then in short, soft brushes. 

And all the while let his left hand climb higher. Rubbing over the demarcating line of the bruises until he was simply stroking Alex's chest. He knew Alex was too distracted by the attention of his lower hand to even notice... until his fingers found the stiff nub of an erect nipple and rubbed over it repeatedly. 

Alex gave a gasp and his body arched under Walter's hands. Walter looked up and smiled. Alex's lower lip was wet and swollen, and Walter could see he'd been biting it to keep in any noise. His cheeks were flushed, his eyes huge and glassy, pupils dilated. "Sorry," Walter murmured, not moving his hand from where his finger rested on the stiff little nipple, moving just barely back and forth... back and forth. "Guess I wandered a little too high there... didn't I..." Holding the eye contact he bent forward, letting the desire show in his face, and gently, gently, lowered his mouth to Alex's. 

The sore lips trembled under his, but he kept his touch light, never too much pressure. He barely let his lips rest before pulling back just a breath and then drawing Alex's lower lip into his mouth, sucking gently. Releasing the lower lip, he let his tongue trace the battered upper lip, laving the healing split. The tiny sounds Alex made came regularly now...little gasps and moans that broke from his mouth as if he couldn't contain them, didn't even know he was making them. Walter had never heard anything sweeter. 

"Wait... please..." 

Walter stopped immediately, lifting his mouth, careful not to bump Alex's bruised nose with his own. Leaving his hands resting warmly on Alex's body, he lifted back enough to look Alex in the eye. "I'm sorry Alex, but I've wanted to do that so long," he whispered. Even as he said it, he realized the words were true. He _had_ wanted to kiss those lips for a very long time. Alex blinked up at him and Walter felt a catch in his chest at the look of wonder in the big green eyes. So similar to that look earlier, when he'd told Alex they were sorry he'd gotten so hurt. Walter wondered if anyone had ever taken the time to care about Alex. 

"I just... I don't understand," Alex whispered. 

"Understand what?" 

"You... and Mulder... I mean, you're happy with each other. Aren't you?" 

"Of course. We love each other very much, just like I told you the other morning. Being in a relationship with Mulder has changed my life." 

"Then what... why..." Alex paused, obviously confused. "You said... um, you know, that morning. You said... you made it sound like... you cared for me. In... that way..." 

"I do," Walter smiled and lifted his hand to stroke Alex's face. "I'm glad you were listening." 

"I was listening, but I still don't get it," the breathy edge to Alex's voice made Walter's hands itch to strip the rest of his clothes from him, get him naked and roll him over, lift his hips and bury himself in that lush ass. Clamping down on his libido, he ran his hand through Alex's hair. 

"What don't you get?" 

"If you two are happy and all, why are you both..." Alex seemed to catch himself and stopped mid-sentence. He started again, "I mean why are you... here with me? I know you guys said you want to be friends and all but this is _really_ friendly. Wouldn't Mulder be upset?" 

_Sure, Mulder would be damned upset that I'm whipping his ass in this bet!_ Walter smiled and winked at Alex. "Alex, we've got... an understanding, Mulder and I. We don't have a lot of monogamous hang-ups." 

Alex exhaled deeply, and Walter could see relief settle over his face. "You don't?" 

"No. Not only would Mulder not be upset, he'd likely be very happy for you, Alex. In fact, he'd probably ask if he could join in." Walter winked again and laughed at Alex's blush. Then he let his tone get serious. "And it's true, Alex. We _do_ want to be friends with you. As we get to know you... well, I for one am finding you..." Walter leaned forward and brushed a gentle kiss across Alex's lips. "Very... very..." He licked Alex's bottom lip, then nibbled it. "Attractive." 

Alex let out a small moan and opened his mouth under Walter's, going completely pliant and pressing up into Walter's mouth. Walter heard a far off victorious trumpet somewhere in his head but it was drowned out almost immediately by the glorious sensation of french-kissing Alex Krycek... his tongue plunging into Alex's mouth. Alex kissed him back, hand rising to catch in Walter's shirt and grip tightly. Walter kissed him breathless then gently disengaged. 

"But I want you to understand, Alex," he said in a throaty murmur, "I won't ever do anything you don't want me to do. I told you I wouldn't hurt you and I meant that. And that means I won't push you, or expect too much too soon, or assume this is something _you_ want just because I want it. I'd love to get to know you better and show you how good it could be between the two of us. But only when and if you say so." 

Pressing a parting kiss to Alex's swollen lips, Walter mentally steeled himself and pushed to his feet. He knew he could press the momentary advantage he had, but he was positive his long-term plan would be the truly successful one. He smiled down at the dazed and aroused man on the couch. "I should go now... before I change my mind and start pushing." He gave Alex a rueful grin and backed up a step. Alex just lay there blinking up at him in utter shock, and Walter groaned, closing the distance one more time for one last kiss. As he bent, this time he let his right hand drop into Alex's crotch, and gently but thoroughly felt up the throbbing erection and the warm, plump balls through their thin covering. Alex's hips pushed up into his hand wantonly and Walter had to force himself to pull back. 

"Remember Alex," he managed in a rough voice, "all you have to do is say the word." Picking up his suit jacket, he backed away from the couch, drinking in the site of Alex for as long as he could, then finally letting himself out the front door, pulling it shut behind him. 

In the hall, he leaned up against the wall and caught his breath before taking the elevator downstairs. He would _definitely_ be needing to visit the executive washroom back at the Bureau. Or perhaps he'd save it for Mulder tonight... He smiled as he returned to his car. It had been worth it, and he was quite sure it would continue to be worth it... the meltingly touched, not to mention extremely aroused, look on Alex's face as he'd left had told him that. 

Giving the true power to Alex was a genius stroke. It would give Alex the confidence he needed to take the final step. Walter found himself inordinately pleased with the idea that he might actually help Alex discover the pleasure two caring adults could find together. He particularly liked the thought that Alex would make the decision, and would reach out to him. He found himself truly wanting to touch Alex on a deeper level. He hoped it would be soon. 

Then they could get on to introducing Alex to the pleasure _three_ caring adults could find together. 

* * *

Alex lay on the couch, breath coming fast and hard, and stared at the closed door. What the hell just happened? 

At first he'd thought Skinner... no, _Walter_... had really been serious about just wanting to check out his bruises. He'd certainly been intent enough on them. Alex had lain in pure agony as his dick hardened, knowing Walter couldn't _help_ but notice his growing arousal. But then he'd been so... blas about it. And moved on to his stomach and... oh god... 

Alex lifted his right hand and tentatively stroked it over his lower stomach, letting his fingers play where Walter's had. He'd watched Walter's strong, thick fingers moving on his skin so hypnotically. He'd watched his underwear inching down to the top of his bush, had _felt_ the heat of Walter's hand... so close, so close to his cock trapped inside his shorts. 

He swallowed hard and slipped his own fingers under the elastic. Stretching the underwear to accommodate his hand, he felt himself all over just as Walter had done, with that last kiss... Alex gasped as his dick jerked in his hand. His knees spread, his thighs aching with the need to be apart. His feet were all tangled up in his jeans. 

Stroking his fingers down over his balls, he spent long moments squeezing and massaging his sac. It felt too good... the growing heat generated by Walter's touch. He didn't want to just pump to orgasm and have it be over. He wanted to savor this pulsing arousal raised by another's hands, by another's kisses. By _Walter's_ kisses. When he felt orgasm approaching he cupped his hand around his balls and just lay, eyes closed, recreating every single touch, every single kiss. 

And the words. Ah god... the words. Those words, in Walter's voice. And then, just when he'd expected Walter to lie down on top of him on the couch, take him over the line he'd never crossed before... Walter got up and left. 

Left. 

And said it was all up to _him_. Alex felt a swell of gratitude and... something else... something like affection... filling his chest to bursting. He played his hand lightly over his swollen cock and teased the head with his fingertips. Said he wouldn't push, wouldn't expect too much too soon. And he meant it. Alex knew he did. Knew Walter _wouldn't_ push, and wouldn't ask him to do things he wasn't ready for. Ready for... ready... 

Alex squeezed his cock once. Twice. Thought about getting fully naked. But moving his hand within the cotton cage of his underwear felt good...illicit. Like watching Walter and Mulder from the door and coming in his pants. He wanted to just lay here exactly as Walter had left him and bask in the heady feelings. His cock was leaking and the underwear was damp now and even that felt erotic. He stroked his cock and thought about being ready. Readiness. Ready for... everything. 

That Walter would let him make the call seemed to loose something within Alex. Something hot and wild. If he'd been asked that very morning he wouldn't have been able to say he was ready to let a man make love to him. But suddenly... he felt _very_ ready. More than ready. Bursting with readiness... 

He wanted to call Walter back. Tell him now was just fine. Tell him he didn't have to leave. At the same time, he wanted to wait. Gather the gift Walter had given him close. Surround himself with it. Continue to let himself get comfortable with the man, _then_ give the word. 

But right now... right now he was going to get off, and get off better than he had in days. His mind started moving faster, in time with his hand. His fingers circled and squeezed and pulled... released and then squeezed again. His breath came hard. Images, in his mind... Mulder and Walter on the bed... their cocks... his cock... Walter's hands... Mulder... fucking... 

Some sound made Alex turn his head, open his eyes... to find Mulder standing in his living room, mouth as wide open as his eyes. 

* * *

Mulder jauntily mounted Alex's stairs, whistling under his breath. He'd waited for Walter to get back in his car and leave before going inside. He hadn't known his lover was paying a visit to their little virgin today. He should have guessed. They'd both given it a couple days for Alex to heal up and to avoid any Spender-eyes, but both were too hot on the scent to let it go much longer. 

Mulder grinned to himself... considering the way Walter had been walking when he'd made his way to his car, he definitely hadn't had his wicked way with Alex. Mulder had debated going after his man and offering a little nooner action to take care of that discomfort, but instead, decided to use the tingle of arousal he felt as impetus in his latest foray for Alex's favors. 

Reaching Alex's floor, he strode down the hall and knocked lightly. The door, usually locked up tight, clicked open under his fist and swung inward. Surprised, Mulder walked in. Just as he opened his mouth to call to Alex, he heard a sharp moan in the next room. Rounding the corner and reaching for his gun, he froze at the sight that greeted his eyes. 

Alex... spread out on his couch... jeans down around his ankles, shirt shoved off onto his left shoulder, legs spread and hand stuffed down the front of his tight, black underwear... masturbating with abandon, head thrown back and eyes closed, chest heaving. 

Mulder's cock sprang to life and his mouth fell open on a strangled version of Alex's name. He wanted nothing so much as to watch Alex finish, watch him work his cock until he came in his underwear. When Alex's head swung around and his eyes opened, his hand freezing, Mulder wanted to scream 'No! Keep going!' 

Thankfully, his mouth still wasn't really working and all that came out was "...ungh..." 

"MULDER!" Mortified, Alex twisted, trying to sit up and swing his legs down off the couch and get his hand out of his underwear all at the same time. All he succeeded in doing was getting even more tangled in his clothes and falling off the couch with a resounding thud. 

The sound galvanized Mulder and he shook off his paralysis, racing around the coffee table, shoving it out of the way and kneeling by Alex. "Alex! Are you okay, did you hurt... anything?" 

Alex had managed to extricate his hand from his underwear by the time Mulder knelt next to him, but unfortunately for Alex his tussle with the couch had resulted in the underwear losing its already strained battle for concealment of his cock. As Mulder rolled him onto his back and looked him over carefully, his single-minded cock stood up proudly, undeterred by the tumble. Alex stared in horror, and Mulder in molten lust, at the eager erection pointing straight up at Mulder. They both reached for the underwear at the same time, albeit with slightly different intent, but Mulder's fingers caught the elastic first and the underwear came down the rest of the way, baring Alex's balls and upper thighs. 

"Oh Alex," Mulder breathed, beyond any pretense of not checking him out. Reaching out, he ran his fingers over Alex's balls then gripped them gently, exploring their contours with his thumb. Alex's reaching hand tried to cover his erection but Mulder's other hand batted it away without a second thought, catching his own fingers in Alex's and keeping Alex's hand at bay. Finishing with his investigation of Alex's balls, he wrapped his fingers around Alex's cock at the very base and stroked all the way to the tip, exerting not-quite-enough pressure the entire way. He grinned, delighted when his action brought a small flood of precome seeping from Alex's cock. Running his fingers through it, he rubbed the wetness all over the swollen head of Alex's cock. 

Alex went into spasms on the floor, his head rocking back, his hips thrusting up and up. His fingers gripped Mulder's hand so tight the bones creaked. "Mulder!" he wailed. "Oh, Mulder... that... oh..." 

Jerked out of his fascinated reverie, Mulder looked up to meet Alex's eyes. 

"Alex," he murmured, "this looks positively painful. Let me help you with this. You know I want to. I can make you feel _so_ good." Holding Alex's eyes, he lifted his wet fingers and slowly sucked them into his mouth, one by one. Alex's mouth opened but only a semi-coherent grunt emerged. Mulder tugged on his hand and pulled Alex into a sitting position then helped him up to sit on the couch again. Stripping the underwear the rest of the way down and shucking it and the jeans from around Alex's ankles, he slipped his hands gently between the battered knees and parted them, kneeling on the floor between Alex's spreading legs. Looking up, Mulder smiled at Alex and leaned forward earnestly. "May I, Alex? May I touch you? Make you feel good? Show you what I'd love to give to you?" 

Alex stared down into that beloved upturned face and couldn't control the heartfelt groan that emerged from his lips. "Please..." he whispered. "Oh Mulder... yes... yes, please." 

Mulder's head dropped into Alex's lap and between one second and the next he had Alex's cock completely engulfed. The noises Alex made spurred him on and he began sucking enthusiastically, only to have Alex explode almost immediately. Caught by surprise, Mulder recovered enough to keep his hold and swallow, working his throat around Alex as he took it all. 

Lifting his head slowly, he licked Alex's twitching cock, drawing another flurry of small moans from Alex. "Wow..." he murmured, grinning up at Alex from under his lashes. 

Alex blushed hotly. "Oh god, I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." 

"For what?" Mulder purred, rubbing his hands up and down the sides of Alex's thighs, trying to stay clear of the bruises. 

"I didn't mean to... I should have warned you but... I didn't realize I was so..." 

"Alex, Alex, relax." Mulder dropped his head to rest on Alex's thighs again, inhaling deeply. "Mmm, you smell good. Relax... it was incredible. It was so... _hot_. You were so hot." 

"It just felt so good, when you... when you..." 

"When I sucked your cock?" Mulder inquired innocently, letting his voice go throaty. 

Alex moaned. "You didn't have to... I mean I didn't..." 

Mulder grinned up at him again. "Gonna finish a complete sentence anytime soon?" he teased lightly. "Of course I didn't have to. I wanted to. You looked so incredible when I came in here... sorry about that, by the way. I knocked, but the door just swung open, and I heard something in here so I just came in. I wasn't trying to intrude, but you..." Mulder paused and swallowed hard, remembering the image of Alex on the couch. "Wow," he finally repeated. 

Alex blushed harder. "I feel like a complete idiot." 

"No! No... don't. You have no idea how beautiful you looked. And all I wanted was for you to keep going. Then you fell, and I was worried you were hurt, and I... I'm the one who should apologize, I got a little carried away. I just... I want you so bad, Alex. When I saw you, and you were so aroused, I couldn't resist. I _am_ sorry. I hope I didn't push you into anything." 

"No!" Alex shook his head vigorously. "No, Mulder, it was... fuck, it was like a dream come true." He ducked his head, as if realizing what his statement revealed. "I just... it was... a surprise," he mumbled. 

"Of course it was," Mulder murmured, pressing a kiss to Alex's thigh. "I'm glad you seemed to enjoy it..." 

Alex choked, then laughed. "Jesus Mulder! Yes... fuck yes... that's why I didn't realize I was going to... until I did..." He cut himself off, flustered, when Mulder lifted twinkling eyes. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "But what about... um... you? I... you couldn't have gotten much out of that." 

Mulder sighed happily. "You have no idea, Alex. It was great." 

"But... uh... can I... you know... do something for you?" Alex blushed madly as he said it, forcing the words out. 

Mulder shook his head. "No Alex, I'm fine. You don't have to do anything for me." And he realized, even as the words left his mouth, that it was true. He was happy to have done this for Alex, happy that Alex enjoyed it, that it had happened spontaneously and maybe had allowed Alex to get past some of what was blocking him from experiencing pleasure. He rested his head on Alex's thigh and stayed kneeling quietly. 

As minutes ticked by, he became aware of a hand stroking slowly through his hair. Another long moment later and a soft voice touched his ears... "What if I _want_ to do something for you?" 

Mulder lifted his head slowly, not wanting to dislodge the fingers from his hair. He looked up and found himself caught in a deep, steady gaze. Alex's eyes were different somehow... there was something there... something the psychologist in Mulder recognized. Alex had turned a corner in his own head. Mulder blinked up at him, surprised at the depth of emotion rising in his own throat, in his chest, for the man before him. For what he'd gone through, for what he'd done to get himself to the point he was at now, to be able to offer this gift to Mulder. Ready to refuse it and give Alex time alone to think, Mulder suddenly found himself transfixed, rooted to the spot as Alex leaned forward and deliberately kissed him. 

It was like sinking. Sinking into warm buoyant water that held you up and floated you even as it filled your lungs and made your head swirl with colors from lack of oxygen. Alex kissed and kissed and kissed him, hand stroking over and over his hair. 

Finally he lifted his lips away and whispered, "Mulder. Please... I'm ready. Would you make love to me?" 

And Mulder couldn't remember a reason to say no... couldn't remember wanting to or even how to. The open face, the trust and the caring in those eyes, in that expression... Mulder's breath caught and he nodded, unable to speak. Alex's hand unbuttoned his shirt and loosened his tie while his own hands undid his belt and pants, pushed his boxers down and off. He shrugged out of his shirt and sank back to his knees beside the couch, urging Alex to spread his legs further, to sink down into the cushions and move his hips forward to the very edge. 

Legs widespread, relaxed fully down into the couch, eyes shining, Alex watched Mulder lean in and kiss up his inner thigh. He didn't understand... Mulder had already sucked him off, didn't Mulder understand what he was asking for? And then, as Mulder kissed and licked all the way up to Alex's scrotum and below, Alex suddenly understood. His eyes went wide, his hand gripped the couch cushion... Mulder's hands on his inner thighs pressed and he parted, lifted... and _there_... just there... Mulder's tongue stroked over his anus and Alex yowled his pleasure to the ceiling. And the upstairs neighbors. For three floors. 

Mulder grinned and Alex could feel it against his ass. Mulder moved his hands up further and spread Alex wider, then licked harder. Alex gasped and moaned and tried to remember how to breathe. Mulder licked the puckered asshole again and again, working his tongue against it relentlessly. Alex's hips lifted and squirmed as he wriggled even further down into the couch. Mulder soon found himself with his hands under Alex's ass, one full cheek clutched in each hand, holding Alex's ass spread and open for his ministrations. Alex's shouts and pleas were the best kind of encouragement, and he licked with more enthusiasm, finally thrusting his tongue right through the loosening ring of muscle. Alex hollered and bucked and said something in Russian. Mulder tongue-fucked him repeatedly, wondering if he could get Russian again. Sure enough, each thrust of his tongue into Alex's virgin ass brought a flood of consonants. 

Noting a burning strain in his arms, Mulder realized more of Alex's weight was on him with each passing second, and he finally lifted his head to see that in his abandoned ecstasy, Alex had scrunched down into a completely twisted and highly uncomfortable looking position. He also noticed Alex's cock was standing up again. Grinning, he nipped Alex's inner thigh to catch Alex's attention. When a gasping Alex opened his eyes, Mulder jerked his head toward the pillow in the corner of the couch. "Grab that to cushion your knees, and turn over. Kneel. You'll be more comfortable, I swear." 

Beyond thought, Alex obediently grabbed for the pillow and let Mulder help him roll over until he was kneeling before the couch on the pillow, ass sticking out, face down in the cushions. Mulder knelt behind him and took a moment just to enjoy the view before spreading the generous cheeks once again and attending to the hot little asshole begging for his attention. Alex immediately saw the benefit of the new position and arched his back with a squeal, lifting his ass and spreading his legs further. Mulder worked Alex's anus with his tongue until Alex was breathless and shaking all over, until he'd surpassed Russian and crossed over into incoherent territory, begging Mulder for more more more. Only when his tongue was sore with the effort did Mulder finally stop, and pressed his finger against the wet and loosened opening. 

Sliding his finger easily into Alex's ass, Mulder felt around until he bumped the knot of Alex's prostate, grinning when Alex's head whipped up from the cushions and an entirely new note entered his repertoire of shrieks. "Like that?" Mulder asked needlessly as Alex keened with pleasure. "It gets a whole lot better..." 

"Better...? Can't..." Alex gasped. "Any better... kill me..." 

Mulder laughed and slid a second finger in, working them in and out smoothly. "So then, maybe I should just stop with this? Hmmm?" 

"Oh god, no, Mulder! Don't stop." Alex thrust his ass back at Mulder, whimpering. "Don't you dare stop. Do it... please... put it inside me. Your dick, Mulder. Please, I want it inside me, I need you to..." 

"Shhh... I know. I know. I'm sorry, I was just teasing. It's okay, here we go..." Mulder pressed up close to Alex and laid himself carefully over Alex's back, still fingering Alex's hole, relentlessly teasing his prostate until Alex was sobbing with need. "Listen to me, Alex, can you hear me?" Waiting for the grunt of acknowledgement, Mulder continued. "I've got you nice and relaxed so you should be fine, but you have to tell me if it hurts, okay? If it hurts I'll stop-" 

"Nooo," Alex moaned. "No, please, don't stop... put it inside me, put it in my ass..." 

"Shh, shh, Alex, listen. I'm just saying you're in charge, okay? I do what you tell me to do. If it hurts, tell me, okay?" 

"Yes... yes..." 

Mulder slid his fingers out to the sound of Alex's wanton groaning and carefully lined up his cock, pressing forward and slipping the head past the outer ring of muscle. Alex gasped and arched and Mulder stilled. "Alex? Talk to me... are you okay?" 

"Oh... _oh_..." 

"Alex?" 

"Oh... oh oh oh... oh! Moooore..." 

Mulder pushed forward, then backed off, working himself inside with short gentle thrusts. Alex kept whining and pressing back, trying to take more, but Mulder paced him carefully, pushing in when he felt Alex's muscles give and stopping when he felt Alex tighten. Sinking into the tighttight heat was amazing... and to have Alex so avid, so out of control under him... what had Alex said? A dream come true. Mulder concentrated on keeping himself in check despite the impossibly sexy whimpering and squirming. Alex was so hot... 

And finally he was there... all the way in. Inside Alex Krycek, cock up his ass, balls to balls. Holding still for long moments, trying to catch his breath, he pressed a kiss to Alex's shoulder. "Alex? You okay?" 

"Uuunh..." 

"Alex?" 

Alex's head fell to the side, eyes half-closed, mouth lolling open. "...more..." 

Mulder grinned against his shoulder. Looked like Alex was just fine. Reaching around Alex's hip with one hand, he felt for Alex's cock and laughed softly at the eager erection he found waiting for him. Looked like Alex was more than fine... looked like somebody _liked_ getting fucked. Mulder moved his hips gently and stroked Alex at the same time. Alex went wild under him, bucking into his hand. Mulder barely had time to thrust twice more before Alex was coming all over his hand, sobbing his pleasure into the couch cushions. 

Caught by surprise again, Mulder made a split second decision and just went with it, removing his mental restraints. No doubt, Alex would be feeling the soreness once his orgasm wore off and prolonged fucking wouldn't be comfortable. Mulder buried himself to the hilt and let this mind take over and flood his senses with all the eroticism of his experiences since blundering into Alex's living room. Orgasm rolled over him and he bit down into Alex's shoulder, body shaking as he rode out his release. 

Catching his breath, he eased back from Alex, who stayed limp and pliable. Separating their bodies, he manhandled Alex back up onto the couch on his back, and grinned down at the completely drugged expression on his face. 

"Didya like?" he asked. 

Alex grinned up at him. "Ooooh yeeeeahhh..." he managed. "Mmm... tired..." 

Mulder laughed. "I have no doubt. It's okay... just shut your eyes. You can rest. I'll get us cleaned up." He found his way to Alex's bathroom and washed up, then came back with a wash cloth and sponged off an already sleeping Alex. Pulling his clothes back on, he gathered up Alex's clothes and left them on the coffee table, then spread an afghan over Alex. He glanced around, wondering if he should stay, but Alex was out like a light. He stood smiling stupidly down at Alex until finally he decided to leave a note. Finding paper and pen, he scrawled a quick note and left it right on top of Alex's underwear, where he would be sure to find it. 

Whistling as he left, Mulder realized with a start that he'd won the bet. He blinked as he descended the stairs, realizing he hadn't thought about the bet once after Alex had turned virgin seducer on him. He grinned as he got into his car and headed home. Hot damn... not only did they now have an incredibly fiery new lover to add to the mix, but he had a month of Walter doing his bidding to look forward to! He drove home singing to every song that came on the radio. 

* * *

Alex jerked awake in the darkened apartment. He wasn't sure how much time had gone by, just that the afternoon shadows were longer. He stretched and felt a new, sharp soreness that had nothing to do with his bruises. 

But still had everything to do with Mulder... 

He lay on the couch grinning uncontrollably. He'd done it! He'd actually done it... he'd had sex. With _Mulder_ of all people. One of the two men he'd fantasized about for _years_. And given what Walter had said earlier, he could have Walter this way too. The thought made liquid warmth pool low in his belly. Now that he knew he was indeed ready, he knew he would have Walter. He would get together with Walter as soon as possible. Maybe even... both together... at the same time. He felt his dick twitch and stared down at himself in surprise. Apparently actually _having_ sex was good for his libido... 

He suddenly remembered falling asleep on Mulder and sat bolt upright. Wincing at the pleasant soreness in his ass, he leaned over and flipped on a light. The pile of clothes caught his eye, and he reached out to snag the paper on top of his underwear. He smiled at Mulder's unmistakable handwriting. 

AAbsolutely   
amazing. I don't have words. I wasn't sure if I should stay, you were really out! Guess I tired you out, huh? Didn't want to wake you, but want to see you _soon_. Come for dinner? Walt wants to see you too. -M 

A warm glow pulsed in his chest. He couldn't believe how his life was turning around. Standing up, he went to take a shower and get ready to go. Glancing at his watch he realized it wasn't as late as he thought... he couldn't have slept long. Walter was likely hardly out of work yet. Still, he hustled his shower, eager to see them. A short while later, bottle of wine on the seat beside him, he was driving to Mulder and Walter's house. 

Pulling up, he knocked on the front door, but no one answered despite both cars being present. Rolling his eyes good-naturedly, he headed around the house to the back. No doubt, in the hot tub. Sure enough, as he walked he could hear voices. He rounded the edge of the house and looking over the gate, saw Mulder lounging in the hot-tub, Walter standing at the side of it removing his coat and tie. 

"-think you better just get used to doing what I say, Walter." 

"Oh, and why should I-" Suddenly Walter stopped, tie half-undone, and swung to stare at Mulder. "No! You _didn't_!" 

"I _did_!" Mulder crowed, lifting the beer he held in a mock toast. "The bet is _won_." 

"WHAT?! When? How! How could you-" 

Alex paused, head cocking to one side. Bet? What were they betting about, he wondered in bemusement. His hand reached to open the gate, then stopped cold at the words Mulder spoke. 

"I paid him a visit this afternoon. Walked in on him, purely by accident, with his dick in his hand. He was obviously _extremely_ in the mood. I asked him if I couldn't take care of his little... problem, not that it was very 'little', mind you... and one thing led to another and... _he_ asked _me_! HA! I _told_ you, Walter! You said it yourself the night we made the bet... he's obviously been dying to wrap those legs around me. And let me tell you, once he gets going, he's the _hottest_ little slut imaginable," Mulder grinned wickedly and drank. 

Walter yanked his tie the rest of the way off and sputtered. "This _afternoon_? What _time_??" 

"Hmm? Oh, I don't know. It was sometime after 2:00," Mulder said breezily. 

"DAMN YOU! That was _my_ hard-on!" 

"What?" Mulder burst out laughing. 

Walter flung his tie down onto the ground and pointed at Mulder. "I'm calling foul! I was there right before you, and _I'm_ the one who got him all worked up and hard! Then _you_ just waltz in there and _collect_ on all my hard work... you... you... _poacher_!" 

Mulder laughed harder. " _Poacher_? Waaaaalter, is it my fault if he wants me? Is it my fault if you didn't give him what he needed? What he was _definitely_ looking for? I mean I'm sorry but... if you left him in the condition I found him in, it's _your own_ damn fault you didn't get his cherry when you had the chance. 'Cause he was just _begging_ to be plucked... You don't just work a virgin up into a hurricane of horniness and walk out on them!" 

"Yes, you do!" Walter stormed. "This is completely unfair and should invalidate the bet! I had the perfect plan, dammit! Give him the control, and let him say when he was ready. Get him to see he could _trust_ me! And it would have _worked_ too, if you hadn't burst in on him and _stolen_ my hard on!" 

"STOLEN?" Mulder grinned. "Finders keepers, especially since you were going to let it go to waste. You're just trying to welsh on the bet, Walt, and I'm not going to let you. You're _mine_ for a month, however I want you! Walter?" Mulder paused as he noted how pale Walter's face had gone. "Walter?" He sat forward, concerned. "What's wrong...?" He stopped when he realized Walter wasn't even looking at him. Rather, he was looking over Mulder's shoulder, toward the gate. 

Mulder turned... and saw Alex, frozen in the act of opening the gate. The paleness of Walter's face had nothing on the ghastly whiteness of Alex's. The bruises stood out as if they'd been painted on. The pained disbelief in Alex's expression slowly crumbled into overwhelming hurt, and for a never-ending second, as they watched him split right down the middle, both Mulder and Walter wondered how they could ever have thought that face was expressionless. The huge wounded eyes broadcast the shredded feelings with a clarity that gut-punched both men. 

"Alex," Mulder gasped. 

The sound of his name seemed to break Alex's paralysis. His mouth opened and his voice came, harsh and rusty. "A bet. I... was... a bet." 

"No... wait..." Walter stepped forward and Mulder stood in the tub. 

Alex backed up a step, his hand coming up to ward them both off. "Don't... Don't. Come. Near. Me." His voice shook, and both men could see the glitter of tears at the corners of his eyes. "You... you... _bet_? You _bet_ which one of you could... could what? Fuck the virgin first? You _bastards_. We want to get to know you, Alex. We want to be friends. And I thought..." He looked away and laughed, a horrible, hysterical sound. "Who was I kidding? What, was this some kind of twisted _revenge_? For everything I did before? Was that why you invited me to dinner? Were you going to tell me over dessert and coffee? Well, hey... looks like I saved you some food." Alex backed up another step, tears running freely down his cheeks now, face caught halfway between grief and anger. "But not to worry, it worked anyway. It was fucking perfect, boys. You got me. Whatever this was revenge for - pick a sin, any sin - it was right on target. Hit the mark dead on. I actually thought-" 

He stopped suddenly, grinding to a halt, as if his throat just wouldn't work anymore. His head ducked and he suddenly looked at the bottle of wine under his prosthesis. Dragging it out, he stared at it like he'd never seen it. 

Then, without another word, he dropped it to the ground. Turning on his heel he walked back to his car and sped away. 

* * *

  
 

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